Dragons, Butt Lifts, And Big Macs Walk Into A Monday

The holidays are finally over and the world feels like it’s snapping back into place—shows return, routines resume, and the coffee hits just right. From that grounded moment, we wade into three stories that capture how people search for magic, beauty, and value in a noisy year. First up: the rise of fantasy‑core baby names—think romance epics, viral book series, and anime fueling a wave of Alistairs and Cordelias. We talk about why parents are chasing myth and nostalgia, how social media accelerates naming cycles, and whether a dramatic name helps a child carry story or just chases a trend.

Then we pivot to the jaw‑clencher: fillers made from donated cadaver fat used for Brazilian butt lifts and breast enhancements. We sift through the medical pitch—sterile processing, minimally invasive injections, access for thinner patients—alongside the gut‑level ethics and consent questions. What does “beauty at any cost” mean when the supply chain starts in a morgue? We make the case for caution, long‑term safety data, and choosing dignity over fast results that mirror the lifespan of a viral reel.

Finally, we break down McDonald’s 2026 shift toward more consistent pricing and expanded rewards. Standardized price guidance could tame the location‑to‑location sticker shock, while loyalty programs sweeten value and tie customers to the app. It’s a classic trade: smoother tech and predictable costs versus less human contact at the counter. For anyone feeling squeezed by inflation, these changes hint at how big brands will court trust this year—through clarity, not just coupons.

Underneath it all runs a simple theme: the pull between escapism and stability. Names borrow wonder; beauty trends push limits; fast food promises order. We end by checking back in on home base—taking down decorations, settling into a rhythm, and choosing the slow, sturdy options when the world is loud. If this mix of cultural trends, ethics, and everyday choices speaks to you, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a quick review to tell us which story surprised you most.

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Liberty Line each week on Sunday, look for topics on my X file @americanistblog and submit your 1-3 audio opinions to anamericanistblog@gmail.com and you'll be featured on the podcast. 

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Chapters

• 0:29 New Year, Back To Routine
• 1:22 Fantasy-Driven Baby Name Trends
• 3:28 The Anime Name Wave
• 3:59 Cadaver Fat Cosmetic Fillers
• 6:20 McDonald’s 2026 Pricing Changes
• 8:09 Question Of The Day: Decorations

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:15

Well, hello, good morning. It's January fifth, I believe, Monday. The holidays are officially over. The tree came down yesterday. Everybody should be getting back to their regularly scheduled programming, including Pat Gray and his crew. But not just that, not just them. It's the Fox News co it's the Fox News host and everything too. All of them. Every single one of them took the frickin' two weeks off of holidays. They should not be allowed to do that. They should space them out. But whatever. We're back to normal now. Hopefully our people will be back in their spots to make us feel all warm and fuzzy again. Starting a new year. Alright, what do I have in store for you on the podcast? Well, just 29 more days, including today. Let's see what we have on the agenda for this morning over on the X-File. I have three stories for you. We're going to start with the strange and unexpected baby name trends taking over 2026. Not that I'm ever going to have another baby because I'm way too old. But in case you know somebody that's having babies, this is their new trend. Parents are paging through fantasy novels, bringing anime, or I'm sorry, binging anime, and rewinding reality TV to find names that feel like an escape hatch from real life. These kids today. According to Baby Naming Bible Name Berry, moms and dads to be are ditching traditional monikers. Now, what is your definition of traditional monikers? And chasing names that sound magical, mythical, and nostalgic, or straight out of a TikTok fueled fever dream. They're diving into their favorite worlds of romantic, ancient epics, pop star lore, and British lit, and emerging with baby names lists to match. The site says one of the biggest trends is Tokyan-esque, Scandinavian-like, romantic-inspired names, the buzzy book genre mashup of romance and fantasy fueled by viral series like A Court Thorns and Roses. I think my daughter has read those books. So let's see. Think sweeping spell coded pics such as oh my gosh, no. Alistair, Ambrose, Aslan, Bronwyn, Callista, Cassian, Cordelia, Elspeth, Em Emris. I don't even know. Esmerie, Evander, no. I don't like any of them. Lillivere? Come on. Names that sound ready for a dragon, a quest, or at least a book talk fan edit. No, thank you. Let's see. Oh, there's moving on. Then there's the anime wave. I don't even know what the anime thing is. To me, I relate it to porn for some reason. As the wildly popular genre leaps from screens to birth certificates with names like Aura. I can't even pronounce some of these. I'm not even going to try. Coda. Renji. Rumi. No, thank you. That is so dumb. So, anyway, you can go finish reading that if you'd like. I swear. I can't with these people. Alright, people are getting. The next story is people, this is disgusting, but we're going to talk about it. I'm going to read it anyway. People are getting BBLs, I think that's butt lifts. And breast implants from you're not going to get. You're never going to guess. Well, you might guess. From donated cadavers. Oh, that's disgusting. It's off-the-shelf fat. What? Talk about a killer body. Ha ha ha. Across the country, a growing number of patients are turning to injectable fillers made from the dearly departed's donated fat in order to lift, plump, and sculpt their bodies, including for hot ticket procedures like Brazilian butt lifts and breast enhancements. Many of us in New York City are excited about this, particularly because our patients are sometimes very thin or maybe have already liposuctioned. What? I don't know if I can finish reading it. That filler called alloclay hit the US market last year, but it still isn't widely available. I'd say less than probably 5% of board certified plastic surgeons have it. Who began offering the procedure, blah blah blah. Okay, well, this doesn't okay. Oh, here we go. Here we go. Aloclay is made from sterile fat harvested from cadavers and can be administered through minimally invasive in-office injections by a qualified provider without the need for general anesthesia. Nope. Thank you. I'm moving on. People don't mess with your bodies like that. Just age gracefully. You don't need to do all that. Trust me, just don't do it. Don't do it. Speaking of being fat and old, I guess, the big four changes coming to McDonald's in 2026 and how they'll impact prices. Now we haven't been to a McDonald's in forever. But let's see what they're going to talk about. McDonald's U.S. profits are falling as are falling? Yes, uh, as ongoing inflation and economic uncertainty slows the country's appetite for fast food. However, the franchise is ushering in some marked changes in the new year in a bid to bring back customers. How about bringing back staff instead of going to uh an automated machine? But I guess people like that though. People like ordering from a screen instead of from a person. However, the franchise, okay, I already said that. According to the Daily Meal, McDonald's is expanding its rewards program to offer diners more bang for their buck. Oh, we're going to this. Okay. More consistent pricing. Below, four other big shakeups are set to rock McDonald's in 2026. All right, let's see. What are the four things? While many fast food companies have been in the spotlight this year for high prices amid inflation, customers noted the prices varied by location. That's because McDonald's works on a franchise model, meaning individual owners could adjust pricing for their own location. But starting January 1st, McDonald's will be rolling out new guidelines that will hold franchisees accountable for setting more standardized prices according to the outlet. The home of the Big Mac is investing in pricing tools and consultants to help franchise owners make more informed judgments on product pricing. Look, if you don't know that already and you're owning one of these, then you don't need to own one. During a time with when McDonald's is shifting, it's focused. Okay, this is too much for me. This I mean, just get to the point. If you want to finish reading that, go over there and read it. Whatever. It's it just drones on and on and on. We need to get to the question of the day. Okay, the question of the day is have you taken down your your tree and your Christmas decorations? We like I said, we took our we took ours down yesterday. Alright, gotta go. Thank God we're back to normal, regularly routine and schedule and programming. Okay, y'all. Thanks for listening. Talk to you later. Bye.