Good morning, it’s Wednesday. The week is halfway over already. I was in Boston yesterday, going to New York City today. I’m again having a little bit of trouble keeping track of where I am and when.
Next Monday, by the way, is a holiday – Indigenous’ Peoples Day/Columbus Day, depending on your sensibility. Either way, for many people – thought not all – its’a day off from work. I will welcome the three-day weekend, even as I am painfully aware that losing a day in the workweek will only mean additional craziness and stress at the back end.
I am writing this at a rest stop on the Mass Pike, where there are VERY slim pickings from a food standpoint.
There’s a McDonald’s and a Papa Gino’s and a grilled sandwich place called D’Angelo. Not a lot in the healthy options department. I’m drinking coffee and eating a fruit salad from the gas station convenience store, but pretty much everyone else around me seems to have gone the Mickey D’s route.
It is no secret that America loves its fast food. It’s also no secret that, GLP-1s aside, America has a weight problem. Nearly 1 in 3 adults – just shy of 31 percent – are overweight, and more than 2 in 5 adults (42.4 percent) have obesity or severe obesity (characterized by a BMI of 30 or higher and 40 or higher, respectively).
Sadly, we have also imposed our poor eating and lifestyle habits on our furry friends – most notably, our dogs.
Estimates vary depending on which study you’re looking at, but anywhere from 25 to 65 percent of dogs are considered overweight (10 to 20 percent over their ideal weight) or obese more than 21 percent over their ideal weight) – the result of a combination of too much food and too little exercise.
The most accurate way to determine if a dog is overweight is to have them assessed by a vet. Most owners don’t have a clue what a healthy weight is for a dog.
In fact, I would hazard to guess that some people probably think if a dog’s ribs and/or backbone are easily felt (not sticking out, mind you) when you press gently on their sides that they’re too thin. Not so. You should also be able to tell where your dog’s waist is (under the fur, of course) when looking down on them from above. (If you don’t get what I’m saying, see this handy chart here).
Just like in humans, obesity can cause a raft of health problems for dogs, from arthritis and chronic kidney disease to bladder/urinary tract disease, liver disease, diabetes, heart failure, high blood pressure, and even cancer, which is the number one killer of modern-day canines.
Even being marginally – say, 10 percent – overweight can have a negative impact on your dog’s health and reduce their lifespan by a third. The good news, though, is that even a modest loss of just a few pounds can have a dramatic positive effect on a dog’s health, improving their mobility and easing stress on their joints.
As a helicopter dog mom, this weight thing is something I worry about quite a bit, especially since all my dogs are neutered, which (technically speaking) reduces the amount of calories they need by up to 30 percent.
I am a little on the stingy side with portions during mealtimes for my dogs, I’ll admit, and I have very strict rules about feeding them people food, which is to say I don’t do it pretty much ever – unless it’s vet approved foods like veggies (carrots and string beans, mostly), sweet potatoes, plain yogurt, the occasional raw egg and boiled chicken with rice if they’ve had a GI issue.
None of my dogs are puppies any longer, sadly, so they’ve grown out of the phase when they need small meals multiple times a day. On days they don’t go to daycare and aren’t running around as much, they get their food divided into two portions. The big boy gets an extra snack on daycare days, and his weight hasn’t budged in years, holding steady around 70 pounds.
Today, if you hadn’t already guessed, is National Pet Obesity Awareness Day. For all my fellow fur parents, you’re welcome for this free PSA. For the rest of you, I doubt you made it this far, but I promise we’ll return to something more universal tomorrow.
I think it’s safe to say that the unseasonably warm weather is officially over. Today – and much of the rest of the week – will see highs topping out in the mid-50s and 60s. It will be cloudy and rainy this morning, and then just partly cloudy for the rest of the day.
Be forewarned: A powerful area of low pressure is expected to develop along the East Coast this weekend and pack heavy rain and high winds.
In the headlines…
Republican senators are increasingly uneasy about President Donald Trump’s standoff with Democratic governors over deploying National Guard troops from other states to Portland, Ore., and Chicago.
AG Pam Bondi spent more than four contentious hours testifying to the Senate Judiciary Committee, sparring repeatedly with Democrats over her handling of the Justice Department as Trump erodes its independence and seeks prosecutions of his enemies.
Bondi got into several heated exchanges with Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla (Calif.) during which she accused the senator of not caring about his home state and having “stormed” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem at a press conference earlier this year.
Trump, Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune are straining to project a united front against Democrats, just barely concealing tensions over strategy that have snowballed behind the scenes since agencies closed last week.
Trump suggested yesterday that some federal workers who have been furloughed during the government shutdown will not receive back pay after they return to work.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) doubled down on recent remarks about Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies amid a government shutdown battle centered around health care.
Trump’s $100,000 fee for new H-1B visas will have major consequences for tech companies and financial firms. But the effects of the new fee will also ripple across the education system and show up in classrooms across the country.
Trump hopes to join the exclusive list of presidents and vice presidents who have received one of the world’s most prestigious honors: the Nobel Peace Prize, which will be announced Friday.
Trump will headline a high-profile business conference in Miami next month that will bring stars like Lionel Messi, Will Smith and Rafael Nadal to the Kaseya Center.
The Supreme Court will hear arguments in a case dealing with rules allowing mail-in ballots in Illinois to be counted even if received after Election Day, a practice permitted in many Democratic-led states that has been repeatedly challenged by Republicans.
The White House’s decision to pull its nominee to lead the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has left the financial regulator in an uncertain position, with just one remaining commissioner in place to tackle Trump’s ambitious crypto agenda.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul retains just a five percentage point lead against potential 2026 Republican challenger, Rep. Elise Stefanik — and loses that advantage when likely voters first hear about both candidates’ records, according to a new internal poll.
A poll paid for and commissioned by Stefanik’s E-PAC showed the congresswoman leading Hochul, 46.4 percent to 45.9 percent after voters are informed about both candidates.
New Yorkers can apply to many SUNY, CUNY and private colleges statewide for free until November, Hochul says.
The Irish government’s transport minister Darragh O’Brien has written to Hochul over the matter of reciprocal drivers’ licenses.
The number of hospital debt lawsuits and debtors have plunged following changes to state laws around medical debt collection, according to a new report by an advocacy organization.
A top priority for environmental advocates was defeated on the final day of this year’s legislative session when lawmakers in the state Assembly decided not to bring the bill to the floor for a vote as a result of a massive lobbying effort against it.
Environmentalists are calling on state lawmakers to save the horseshoe crab. Advocates rallied in Northport to urge Hochul to sign the “Horseshoe Crab Protection Act,” which would ban taking the animals from state waters for commercial or medical use.
A group of elderly judges are taking New York to court over an ancient state law forcing them off the bench at the ripe old age of 76.
Every school in the state is required to have a library, but for more than a decade, districts have cut back on librarians and sometimes quietly closed school libraries, as well.
As New Yorkers gathered across the city to memorialize the second anniversary of the Hamas-led attacks in Israel on Oct. 7, the day also served as a political backdrop to the New York City mayor’s race.
Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani attended a vigil in Manhattan convened by Israelis for Peace, an anti-occupation group of Israelis in New York who have rallied weekly since 2023 to call for a ceasefire and the release of Israeli hostages.
Mamdani’s statement on the two-year anniversary of Hamas’s Oct. 7 attacks on Israel, in which he called the U.S. “complicit” in the “genocidal war” sparked by the incident drew a sharp rebuke from the Israeli Foreign Ministry.
Hundreds of anti-Israel protesters converged in Manhattan yesterday, screaming the antisemitic slogan “From the river to the sea” and wielding signs on the second anniversary of Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 terror attack.
Newly released campaign finance records reveal Mamdani’s campaign gave over $28,000 last month to the New York City Democratic Socialists of America, which has boasted about the level of influence it will have if he is elected mayor.
Mamdani has attacked rival Andrew Cuomo for months over his “Trump-backed” donors. Now, Cuomo is following suit, but with a twist, attempting to portray his opponent’s donors as extremists.
Mamdani’s campaign rolled out a “savings calculator” that estimates how much money New Yorkers would be spared under his watch – but rivals claim it’s using “fantasy” math.
Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont warned that his fellow Democrat Mamdani could cripple Wall Street if he wins the New York City mayor’s race –and said the fallout could spill across state lines.
Rudy Giuliani endorsed fellow Republican Curtis Sliwa for mayor Monday night, dealing a blow to independent Andrew Cuomo as he tries to build crossover appeal to take out front-runner Mamdani.
Mamdani has promoted himself as a champion for affordable housing, but hasn’t taken a position on three pivotal housing-related ballot proposals that have become a flashpoint between incumbent Mayor Eric Adams’ office and the City Council.
Adams wants to landmark a pair of Big Apple Christopher Columbus statues — to protect them from Mamdani, who flipped the bird at the famous Italian explorer’s statue in Astoria and called for its removal in a 2020 social media post.
Mamdani’s campaign has been receiving suspiciously timed donations from his media pals and contributions from progressives tied to communist China.
The NYT’s Mara Gay writes: “Behind the easygoing persona in the viral videos and breezy appearance on “The View,” Zohran Mamdani is running a careful and tightly controlled campaign.”
Democratic mayoral nominee Mamdani is leading the field by a healthy margin among Latinos in New York, a new poll commissioned by the Hispanic Federation and conducted by Lake Research found.
In the midst of an overseas trip to Albania, Adams is skipping this year’s FDNY memorial day ceremony honoring fallen members of the department – marking the first time he has missed the solemn event since he took over the reins at City Hall in 2022
New York’s largest transit union is making preparations to launch legal action against Adams’ top aide, Randy Mastro, and several other politically-connected individuals over their efforts to ban the city’s horse carriage industry.
The debate for the New York City public advocate is canceled. New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, the Democratic nominee, said he will not participate in a general election debate that had been scheduled for tomorrow evening.
Perennial New York City candidate and prolific sperm donor Jonathan “Sperminator” Rinaldi was caught posting phony endorsements and bogus news clips to his social media accounts.
The Partnership for New York City, an influential business advocacy group, announced that Mayor Steven Fulop of Jersey City would take over the organization as its next leader. The role has been held for more than two decades by Kathryn S. Wylde.
The 12-year-old Brooklyn girl killed in a Brooklyn subway surfing incident had posted terrifying daredevil TikTok videos — including one where she lay on train tracks — in the weeks leading up to her tragic death.
A luxe Big Apple-based cannabis dispensary announced it would be launching a fleet of 20 courier pigeons to deliver gram-sized bags to New Yorkers — but the feathered service is totally phony.
Subway riders are finding themselves face-to-face with thousands of cryptic white posters bearing the word “Friend.” The ads are for a wearable AI necklace that listens to all your interactions; it’s meant to offer advice or observations.
Saul Zabar, who ruled the iconic Upper West Side grocery store bearing his name for more than seven decades, died yesterday. He was 97. The so-called lox-smith had been hospitalized with a brain bleed at the time of his death, The Post confirmed.
Zabar led his parents’ appetizing store, Zabar’s, for more than 70 years, turning it into an institution synonymous with New York.
For hundreds of years, people who have lived near Seneca Lake in upstate New York have reported hearing loud booms coming from the water. No one is exactly sure why.
Special Prosecutor William J. Fitzpatrick delivered the government’s opening statement at the trial of three ex-correction officers charged in the beating death of Robert L. Brooks, telling the jury that, like their co-defendants who pleaded guilty, “they killed him.”
The City of Albany is considering using eminent domain to seize three properties near the Rapp Road landfill to build a solid waste transfer station.
The senior vice president of community engagement at the Capital Region Chamber was charged after allegedly trying to entice a person under the age of 18 to have sex with him, according to a criminal complaint filed by the FBI.
Austin Breyette “broke every possible vehicle and traffic law” on the books the night he struck University at Albany freshman Alexa Kropf 17 months ago, prosecutors said in an opening statement of his trial.
Former Saratoga Springs Public Works Commissioner Jason Golub is trying to force the city to cover his attorney fees for a months-long legal battle stemming from what his attorney calls a “baseless” criminal investigation.
Federal agents say they found two Mexican citizens in the country illegally and an AK-style rifle during a search of a North Greenbush home last Friday.
Authorities have completed their on-scene investigation into the fire that killed five people Monday at a home on Twiller Street, but have not yet determined the cause.
Photo credit: Sheila Ledgin.
