AMOC collapse; yet another data breach; Disney and middle class decline; more AI threats; robot rabbits vs Burmese pythons.
It's National Chop Suey Day!
Enjoy the long weekend! KGB Report returns on Tuesday, September 2.
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Knee Deep in the Hoopla
Global emergency as key Atlantic current is on the brink of collapse. A research team from Europe found that the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) could collapse after 2100, especially if greenhouse gas emissions remain high. If the AMOC shuts down, it could cause colder winters and drier summers in the Northeast, raise sea levels along the East Coast, and disrupt fishing industries for American businesses.
After failing to get felony indictment, feds charge DC sandwich thrower with a misdemeanor.
Major data breach at credit reporting giant TransUnion exposes 4.4 million Americans' personal data. Although TransUnion said the data did not include anyone's credit information, the hackers reportedly did gain access to Social Security numbers from Americans across the country.
Mississippi declares public health emergency over infant mortality rate. Since 2014, over 3,500 babies in the state have died before their first birthday, bringing the state's infant mortality rates up to 9.7 deaths for every 1,000 births.
Disney and the decline of America’s middle class. A Disney vacation today is “for the top 20 percent of American households — really, if I’m honest, maybe the top 10 percent or 5 percent,” said Len Testa, a computer scientist whose “Unofficial Guide” books and website Touring Plans offer advice on how to manage crowds and minimize waiting in line. “Disney positions itself as the all-American vacation. The irony is that most Americans can’t afford it.”
New Jersey’s massive American Dream mall sued for selling clothes on a Sunday. New Jersey’s blue laws initially were far stricter and enforced statewide. They banned not just business operations but also leisure activities and nonessential travel, with proponents arguing the state and the nation had a moral obligation to protect the Sabbath from commerce and recreation.
AI Roundup:
An AI simulation of a Mount Fuji eruption is being used to prepare Tokyo for the worst. Note: Fuji, Japan’s tallest peak, used to erupt about every 30 years, but it has been dormant since the 18th century.
Taco Bell says ‘no más’ to AI drive-thru experiment. If you think humans get your order wrong, wait until you try AI.
'AI slop' videos may be annoying, but they're racking up views — and ad money. Rapid advancements in AI have led to a proliferation across the internet of what critics are calling "AI slop," or short videos that are rapidly produced, often repetitive, and made using generative AI technology. Platforms are grappling with how to handle them
A hacker used AI to automate an 'unprecedented' cybercrime spree, Anthropic says. The company behind the Claude chatbot said it caught a hacker using its chatbot to identify, hack and extort at least 17 companies.
TV folk are fleeing, getting the axe:
'Saturday Night Live' branded a 'toxic as hell' workplace as cast members rush to flee 'dysfunction' before landmark 51st season.
Gayle King's career is 'nearing its end' – CBS host's job is at risk after her 'wokeness' made audiences 'disappear'.
Florida man faces bigamy charges after marrying three women in separate counties. (The state doesn’t do cross-county record checks.)
Florida deploys robot rabbits to control invasive Burmese python population.
Keep scrolling down. Lots of interesting stuff in today’s daily features.
Quote of the Day:
There remains still in the people a supreme power to remove or alter the legislative, when they find the legislative act contrary to the trust reposed in them.
--John Locke (Wikipedia link)
(More John Locke quotes from the KGB Quotations Database)
Today’s holidays:
"According to Hoyle" Day, College Colors Day, Forgive Your Foe Friday, Individual Rights Day, International Day Against Nuclear Tests, Lemon Juice Day, More Herbs, Less Salt Day, National Chop Suey Day, National Sarcoidosis Awareness Day, National Sport Sampling Day, National Swiss Winegrowers Day, and Potteries Bottle Oven Day.
Astronomy Picture of the Day from NASA.
On This Day:
2008 – Republican presidential candidate John McCain selects Sarah Palin as his running mate.
2005 – Hurricane Katrina devastated much of the U.S. Gulf Coast from Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle, killing up to 1,836 people and causing $125 billion in damage.
1997 – Netflix was launched as an internet DVD rental service.
1982 – The Steve Miller Band’s single “Abracadabra” hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was the group’s last US Top 40 hit. (Video)
1970 – Chicano Moratorium against the Vietnam War, East Los Angeles, California. Police riot killed three people, including journalist Rubén Salazar.
1967 – The final episode of “The Fugitive” aired on ABC. The show was watched by 78 million people, or 72% of the total TV audience. (Video)
1966 – The Beatles performed their last concert before paying fans at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. (Video)
1958 – Guitarist George Harrison joined The Quarrymen, a skiffle/rock and roll band that became The Beatles in 1960.
1958 – United States Air Force Academy opened in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
1949 – Soviet atomic bomb project: The Soviet Union tested its first atomic bomb, known as First Lightning or Joe 1, at Semipalatinsk, Kazakhstan. (Video)
1907 – The Quebec Bridge collapsed during construction, killing 75 workers. (Video)
1898 – The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company was founded in Akron, Ohio.
1885 – Gottlieb Daimler patented the world's first motorcycle with an internal combustion engine, the Reitwagen.
1831 – Michael Faraday discovered electromagnetic induction.
1786 – Shays' Rebellion, an armed uprising of Massachusetts farmers, began in response to high debt and tax burdens.
(For comprehensive lists of the day’s historical events, check here, here, and here.)
Some Birthdays:
1986 – Lea Michele, American actress and singer (Video)
1967 – Neil Gorsuch, American lawyer and jurist, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
1959 – Stephen Wolfram, English-American physicist and mathematician
1959 – Chris Hadfield, Canadian colonel, pilot, and astronaut
1959 – Rebecca De Mornay, American actress
1958 – Michael Jackson, American singer-songwriter, producer, dancer, and actor (died 2009) (Video)
1947 – Temple Grandin, American ethologist, academic, and author
1941 – Robin Leach, English journalist and television host (died 2018)
1940 – James Brady, American politician and activist, 15th White House Press Secretary (died 2014)
1939 – Joel Schumacher, American director, producer, and screenwriter (died 2020)
1938 – Elliott Gould, American actor and producer
1936 – John McCain, American captain and politician (died 2018)
1935 – William Friedkin, American director, producer, and screenwriter (died 2023)
1926 – Betty Lynn, American actress (Thelma Lou, Andy Griffith Show) (died 2021)
1924 – Dinah Washington, American singer and pianist (died 1963)
1923 – Richard Attenborough, English actor, director, and producer (died 2014)
1922 – Richard Blackwell, American actor, fashion designer, and critic (died 2008)
1920 – Charlie Parker, American saxophonist and composer (died 1955)
1917 – Isabel Sanford, American actress (died 2004)
1915 – Ingrid Bergman, Swedish actress (died 1982) (Video)
1912 – Barry Sullivan, American actor (died 1994)
1898 – Preston Sturges, American director and producer (died 1959)
1876 – Charles F. Kettering, American engineer and businessman, inventor of the electric starter and founder of Delco Electronics (died 1958)
1809 – Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr., American physician and author (died 1894)
1632 – John Locke, English physician and philosopher (died 1704)
(A more complete list of today’s birthdays.)
Some Deaths:
2016 – Gene Wilder, American stage and screen comic actor, screenwriter, film director, and author (born 1933) (Video)
1987 – Lee Marvin, American actor (born 1924) (Video)
1982 – Ingrid Bergman, Swedish actress (born 1915) (Video)
1981 – Lowell Thomas, American journalist and author (born 1892)
1977 – Jean Hagen, American actress (born 1923)
1946 – Adolphus Busch III, American businessman (born 1891)
1931 – David T. Abercrombie, American businessman, co-founded Abercrombie & Fitch (born 1867)
1930 – William Archibald Spooner, English priest and author (born 1844)
1877 – Brigham Young, American religious leader (born 1801)
1769 – Edmond Hoyle, English author and educator (born 1672)
(A more complete list of today’s deaths.)
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