But first…
Hi friends - Neil here, jumping in for Stephen today.
Hope everyone had a relaxing holiday break.
I realize Larry David’s statute of limitations has kind of run out on saying “Happy New Year,” but if you haven’t yet nailed down a resolution, here are a couple interesting tidbits I learned recently from @drjeffyoo on Instagram.
One: There are real psychological reasons why January 1 is a good day to make a resolution. Our brains are very good at registering first impressions. That’s why the first day of the New Year is known as a “psychological reset window,” during which your identity is more flexible, your habits are more impressionable, and your brain is more open to overwriting any bad routines you may have established.
Two: For years, we’ve been told one minute of hard exercise equals two minutes of moderate exercise. Turns out that’s wildly wrong. One minute of vigorous activity equals four minutes of moderate activity, or 53 minutes of light activity. So, if you set a goal of only 10 minutes of hard activity per day, it’s a lot more motivating to know it equals 53 minutes of light activity.
By the way, if you’ve never heard of Dr. Yoo, he’s a Vancouver-based ER doc who in just 6.5 months has gained more than 500,000 social media followers. Topics range from how to keep your kids out of the ER, to what he thinks of The Pitt (I’m way too squeamish to watch that). If you ever find yourself in the ER at Vancouver General, ask for Dr. Jeff and mention you heard about him from The Level.
Now let’s dig into the biggest story of 2026: Venezuela.
- Neil Malik
Maduro had it coming
Nicolás Maduro is undoubtedly a brutal dictator who was running an oppressive regime. He stole an election, deprived people of food and medicine, tortured prisoners, and let his economy and currency collapse.
While it’s certainly fair to question whether the U.S. has the right to invade another country to capture its leader, the celebratory reaction of Venezuelans around the world suggests they’d call this a job well done.
Trump has “empire” on his mind
The Trump administration argues that Maduro is a narco-terrorist and drug trafficker. But if Trump cares so much about drug cartels, why did he pardon former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernández, who was convicted in 2024 of conspiring with drug traffickers?
This comes down to oil. Venezuela holds the world’s largest proven oil reserves, and by gaining control of them, it could help Trump shore up a new American empire within the Western Hemisphere.
In other news
Following the end of the NFL regular season, four teams fired their head coaches on Monday. I always think about how fired coaches still get paid for the remainder of their contract. In the case of Pete Carroll, after a 3-14 season, the Las Vegas Raiders still owe him a reported $30 million. Way to go, Pete. (DAZN)
James Cameron's science-fiction fantasy Avatar: Fire and Ash has surpassed $1 billion in global box office proceeds and is the director's fourth film to reach that threshold. Meanwhile over at Disney, Zootopia 2 surpassed Frozen 2 to become its highest-grossing film ever. (Reuters)
We all kind of felt it, but now the numbers confirm it. Greater Vancouver 2025 home sales hit their lowest level in more than two decades. (CBC)
And in case you missed it, check out our previous story exploring whether or not the Vancouver Whitecaps should have paid out ticket buyers after Lionel Messi didn’t appear in Vancouver for a match.
That’s all for today. Until next time!