In an Italian Village, a Mayor Walks Off the Wine and Everyone Joins In

Luciano Fregonese, the mayor of a town in Italy known for Prosecco, started walking to counter the calories he consumed at social obligations. His jaunts have become a sensation.In a world that seems consumed by the trials of capitalism and the unyielding pressure to work, Robin Leach, the British television personality who died in 2018, noted one place that did it differently: In Italy, Mr. Leach said, they add work and life onto food and wine.Luciano Fregonese, the mayor of Valdobbiadene — a rural town of 10,000 people in Italy’s picturesque northeast, famous for its Prosecco — has lived such truths.“It’s not easy, because every weekend there is one or two or three or maybe more events to attend to, and every event it is common to drink wine, or Prosecco, and also to eat,” the mayor said in an interview, with the help of a translator. “It’s not easy to say ‘no.’”Such are the burdens of a three-term mayor in this lush region of Italy, where Mr. Fregonese — concerned about the toll the job was taking on his health — has added a new assignment to his regular mayoral duties: On Thursdays, Mr. Fregonese walks.Luciano Fregonese, center, in a white shirt, on a stroll through the town with his constituents and other walking enthusiasts.Luciano FregoneseIt began as a lighthearted gag between friends, that the boisterous 47-year-old had taken his mayoral job to heart — and waistline. Mr. Fregonese, who says he has gained weight since first being elected mayor in 2014, was already becoming more concerned about his job’s toll on his health before he won a third term in June.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe.

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Why Are So Many Americans Choosing to Not Have Children?

It’s probably not selfishness, experts say. Even young adults who want children see an increasing number of obstacles.For years, some conservatives have framed the declining fertility rate of the United States as an example of eroding family values, a moral catastrophe in slow motion.JD Vance, the Republican vice-presidential nominee, recently came under fire for saying in 2021 that the nation was run by “childless cat ladies” who “hate normal Americans for choosing family over these ridiculous D.C. and New York status games.”Last year, Ashley St. Clair, a Fox News commentator, described childless Americans this way: “They just want to pursue pleasure and drinking all night and going to Beyoncé concerts. It’s this pursuit of self-pleasure in replace of fulfillment and having a family.”Researchers who study trends in reproductive health see a more nuanced picture. The decision to forgo having children is most likely not a sign that Americans are becoming more hedonistic, they say. For one thing, fertility rates are declining throughout the developed world.Rather, it indicates that larger societal factors — such as rising child care costs, increasingly expensive housing and slipping optimism about the future — have made it feel more untenable to raise children in the United States.“I don’t see it as a lack of a commitment to family,” said Mary Brinton, a sociologist who studies low fertility rates at Harvard. “I think the issues are very much on the societal level and the policy level.”We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe.

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Slimming jabs: ‘I thought my body was shutting down’

Vicky BoydFor those with severe weight issues, semaglutide – the active ingredient in slimming drugs – can be a life-changer. Celebrity success stories have massively increased demand, but brought with it a booming black market for illegal and often life-threatening products. BBC Investigations has discovered how easy these are to buy.

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