Keto & Kesha

everyone's entitled to their opinion, but not all opinions are created equal.

Author

Micael Balioni
July 24, 2025

THE MUSTS

World

hey now, hey now - Is this really what dreams are made of?

 Open Borders, Empty Futures: Italy’s Dual Migration Crisis

Welcome to Italy - but only if you want to stay. The European country is experiencing an unprecedented demographic turnaround. In 2023 and 2024, 760,000 foreigners moved there, the highest number since 2014. At the same time, 270,000 Italians left, in the biggest exodus of the decade.

  • In: Workers are arriving from Bangladesh, Tunisia, Egypt and Ukraine for sectors with a shortage of labor - such as agriculture, hotels, construction and domestic services.

  • Out: Young people with higher education are leaving for countries like Germany, the UK and Switzerland, where salaries - unlike in Italy - have not stagnated since 1990.

But Micael, what is going on?

The Meloni government is trying to contain the impact of an ageing population - 25% of Italians are over 65 - by releasing almost 1 million work visas by 2028.

But the immigrant “reinforcement” does not compensate for the loss of graduates. Between 2019 and 2023 alone, 192,000 Italians aged 25 to 34 left, with only 73,000 returning.

Personal Opinion: I honestly don’t think it’s fair to blame the current government for a crisis that’s been unfolding for over 30 years. The truth is, Italy is an aging country, run by older generations, with laws that mostly serve their interests. It’s one of the only countries in the Eurozone where purchasing power has actually declined over the past decade.

Apart from family ties, tradition, and the good weather, there’s not much left to convince young people to stay. I wanted to bring this up because it’s a conversation that’s been gaining traction lately — and I’d love to hear your thoughts. What do you think?

What else in on:

  • Brazil: Court orders ex Brazilian President Bolsonaro to wear ankle tag and puts him under curfew. No comments on my part here. (Read)

  • Argentina: While the Panama Canal suffers from historic droughts, a new strategic point has entered the radar of China and the US: the Strait of Magellan. The reason: access to Antarctica, where China and Russia already operate more than 15 bases and are targeting the frozen continent's natural resources. (Read)

  • UK & Europe: The UK and Germany have signed their first bilateral treaty since 1963. The agreement strengthens cooperation in defense, economics and migration - as well as strengthening ties with France, forming a strategic triangle between the three European powers. (Read)

  • Palestine: At least 73 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli gunfire while waiting for humanitarian aid in northern Gaza. The attack, which also left dozens wounded, is yet another in a series of fatal incidents involving civilians in search of supplies. Israel said its troops were reacting to an “immediate threat”. (Read)

  • Japan: Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's coalition has lost its majority in the country's upper house. Despite being weakened, Ishiba has vowed to stay in office - but must face internal pressure to resign or make new alliances. (Read)

 

Economy & Business

it’s all about creating more shareholder value, isn’t?

Revenue per Employee - Tech Companies

Tech companies are generating more with fewer people. Many firms are growing revenue while cutting headcount and leaning into AI to boost productivity, so I thought it would be nice to bring some data into light:

  • Nvidia leads the pack, bringing in $4M per employee, the highest among Big Tech.

  • Netflix follows at just under $3M, an impressive figure in its own right, specially if you consider that Netflix is also an entertainment company and not only a tech one.

Apple and Meta also have strong numbers, each generating close to $2.5M per employee., but when compared to Nvidia, the gap is clearly striking.

As efficiency becomes a key growth lever, revenue per employee is a crucial metric to track, specially when betting your coins into the next big hit.

ps: Many people said last year that paypal was going bankrupt, but for a company that is going bankrupt, the numbers don't look that bad to me.

What else in on:

  • Frosted Flakes with Nutella? Ferrero - the owner of Nutella, Kinder and Ferrero Rocher - has announced the purchase of WK Kellogg, responsible for juices and Froot Loops, for US$ 3.1 billion. The purchase positions Ferrero strongly in a market with a turnover of US$ 45 billion and reinforces its strategy of going beyond sweets. (Read)

  • Uber: The global ride-hailing leader is getting serious about autonomous vehicles. Uber announced it’s investing $300 million in EV-maker Lucid and a similar amount in tech startup Nuro to launch a new robotaxi program that could compete with Waymo. The goal is to deploy 20,000 autonomous EVs over the next six years, starting in 2026 in a “major US city.” (Read)

  • Netflix: If Wall Street has expectations, Netflix is probably going to beat them. The streaming giant reported +16% on revenues compared to the same period last year. Netflix stopped divulging its subscriber figures earlier this year in order to emphasize revenue and profits...which appear to be impressing investors as much as intended. Its stock is up nearly 44% so far this year as the company has increased prices and continued to promote its ad-supported option. (Read)

 

Technology & Science

continue a nadar, continue a nadar… nadar, nadar

Can the sea end the climate crisis?

It might seemed ironic, but the seas - which have suffered so much from rising temperatures - could be the great solution we were waiting to combat global warming.

I'll explain. The United Kingdom is investing in a revolutionary technology that seeks to capture carbon dioxide directly from seawater, an innovative approach that could change the game of climate change.

  • The £3 million investment in the pilot project called SeaCURE is part of the UK's efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

How it works: Instead of focusing on capturing carbon from the atmosphere, SeaCURE bets on the sea, where 150x more carbon is found than in the air. The process is simple: water is captured, CO2 is extracted, and the processed water is returned to the ocean.

Currently, the project captures around 100 tons of CO2 per year, if 1% of the ocean's surface were processed, SeaCURE could remove up to 14 billion tons of CO₂ per year. For reference, 37.4 billion tons of CO2 were emitted in 2024.

The challenge will be to scale up the operation, using renewable energy on floating platforms at sea. In addition, scientists are alert to the environmental impacts of this technology, monitoring the effects on marine life.

What else is on:

  • Japan has developed the first complete artificial womb. Capable of gestating an embryo without any biological body involved, the technology has already been successfully tested on goats, using synthetic bags and AI sensors. (Read)

  • China announces world's first 10G internet: While a large part of the population has no internet access at home, China has already launched the first 10G broadband network on the planet, with speeds of up to 10 gigabytes per second. (Read)

  • “Why do they do this to people?” AI videos are tricking tourists into visiting places that don't exist. And that’s just the beginning. (Read)

    Prime number: Biggest budget cut in NASA history. President Trump’s proposed NASA budget for 2026 would slash the US space agency’s science funding by about 50% to $3.9 billion. The proposed budget would kill about 40 projects, Bloomberg reported, including a scheduled mission to bring home Martian dirt samples collected by the Perseverance rover to see if the Red Planet once harbored life. 

EDITOR’S RECOMMENDATIONS

Music

Eat ‘em up like amuse-bouche

 Period by Kesha: You can't imagine how happy I am to write this recommendation. Many of you might not know, but I was a huge Kesha fan (back in the days when she was Ke$ha). For me, Animal, Cannibal, Warrior, and Rainbow are indistinguishably pop music bibles. But after everything she went through in her long, painful fight for freedom from Dr. Luke and his label, I wasn’t quite moved by her last two albums. High Road felt like a try — one I tried to give a chance. And Eat the Acid was about as enjoyable as eating acid probably is.

  • But Period? It’s actually really good! Her first fully independent album, released after parting ways with RCA and Kemosabe in 2023, finally feels like her again. It’s raw, cheeky, unhinged in the best way, and filled with that messy, glitter-drenched soul we fell in love with. 

Musically, it’s a frisky blend of pop, hyperpop, and disco, sprinkled with house, Europop, and a dash of country flair. Songs like “Freedom” open softly, with Kesha in reflection, then break into sparkly, defiant dance tracks. “The One” and “Boy Crazy” are full of smart little twists, funny one-liners, and that signature Kesha chaos that somehow always lands exactly where it should.

It’s not a masterpiece. It’s not my favorite album she’s ever made. But it is hers. And honestly? With her Your Love Is My Drug bridge trending on TikTok and Gen Z finally clocking what we already knew, there’s no better time for a comeback. Fifteen years later, Kesha feels like the godmother of chaotic, honest, unapologetic pop — and Period proves she never really left. Charli XCX may be ruling the Brat generation, but Kesha walked so she could run.

And I am so here for it. (Rating 8/10)

WHAT ABOUT ME?

Micael

no carbs, no fun?

Hello family, friends, fans, and everything in between,

This might not be news to those who see me day to day, but this past month I did something completely new: I went on a diet. But not just any diet — I tried keto.

For those unfamiliar, the ketogenic diet (or keto) is a high-fat, low-carb eating plan designed to shift your body into a state called ketosis, where it burns fat for energy instead of glucose (which comes from carbs). People often turn to keto for weight loss or to reduce body fat while preserving muscle mass.

  • Now, to be fair, I’ve done diets before — but always to gain weight, to bulk. I’ve never done anything restrictive. My general approach has always been to eat healthy most of the time without overthinking it. But that changed recently.

From the end of last year through May, I went through my first serious bulk and gained about 6–7 kg — a big achievement for someone like me, who’s always found it hard to put on weight.

However, with more muscle also came more fat, and I’ll admit: Seeing my abs disappear was an emotional adjustment. Anyone who follows me knows I’ve always been quite lean, and seeing that version of myself shift in the mirror brought up a lot of feelings. It’s wild how much of our identity can be tied to how we see ourselves. For a while, I felt like I was going through a bit of a minor identity crisis.

So, as a kind of personal experiment, I decided to follow up the bulk with my first real cut — and keto felt like the ultimate challenge. A good friend recommended it to me a while back, and I never forgot it. I researched, prepared, and committed to a 6-week trial (they say 6–12 weeks is ideal to see real results).

and here I am: Wrapping up week 6. I didn’t want to tell you guys earlier — I didn’t want to jinx it.

  • Was it effective? Yes — I can see the results.

  • Was it worth it? Honestly… not really, at least for me.

I think a low-carb diet could’ve given me similar results with way less sacrifice. Going zero-carb has been brutal. I’ve never craved potatoes or cookies more in my life — and I even gave up my beloved yogurt.

Here are some honest takeaways:

  • Going carb-free is way harder than going alcohol-free.

  • I have huge respect for people who do restrictive diets — because I’m not sure I’ll ever want to do one again.

  • If you were hot before a diet, you’re probably still hot now. We really shouldn’t stress too much about it (- if you are hot).

What about you — have you ever tried keto? Would you? If so, I’ve learned some interesting meals I’d love to share.

With love,
Micael

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