DST, SSA collapse, potentially deadly TP
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Observations by and for the vaguely disenchanted; information, essential and otherwise, for the day ahead.
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Knee Deep in the Hoopla
The Trump/Musk firehose of folly continues, and it’s impossible to review all but the most egregious outrages here. The Associated Press, NBC, Aljazeera, and The Guardian are my picks for keeping up to date. Check out one or two, take a look, and come back here when you’ve had enough.
Daylight Saving Time has returned, and with it lower productivity at work; an increase in car accidents, heart attacks, and suicides; and a total disruption of the species’ natural circadian rhythm, which is tuned to sunlight earlier in the day.
Keeping time is already tough enough without screwing around with it twice a year. Most time zones consist of one hour shifts from what used to be called Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) or Zulu (Z). It’s now called UTC, which literally stands for Universal Time Coordinated, although it is typically referred to as Coordinated Universal Time.
While logic suggests there should be 24 time zones- one for each hour of the Earth’s day- the fact is there are 40 of them, all arbitrarily set by each country. There are 13 zones offset by only 30 minutes, and two by 45 minutes (three, if you count Australian Central Western Standard Time, which is used in one area in the southeastern corner of Western Australia and one roadhouse in South Australia.)
I suggest that this fall, we turn the clocks back by 30 minutes and then be done with it. We’ll split the difference and call it even. It’ll stay light a little longer in the winter and get dark a little earlier in the summer. Most people won’t even notice it, and we won’t waste millions of hours trying to figure out how to reset the clocks in our cars.What can possibly halt the destruction of our country’s departments and agencies? Social Security nearing 'total system collapse,' warns former administrator. (Video) Should the 72.5 million Americans who depend on Social Security fail to receive their monthly benefits, you can be certain those in power will indeed reap the whirlwind.
Must be an odd-numbered year: Scientists just discovered a huge health benefit of coffee.
A new study reveals that approximately 40% of Gen Z is losing their proficiency in handwritten communication, a skill we’ve relied on for over 5,500 years. This decline raises questions about the long-term implications of the digital age on our cognitive and communication abilities.
‘She is evil’: Amy Coney Barrett under attack by right wing after USAid ruling. They call her a DEI hire.
Tesla is getting desperate about unloading its Cybertrucks.
A massive study published in Neurology followed over 133,000 health care professionals for more than four decades and found a clear connection between eating processed red meat—things like sausages, bacon, salami, and hot dogs—and a higher risk of cognitive decline. Ok, but I bet it’s still better than binge drinking.
Experts raise "serious doubt" about COVID vaccine study claiming mRNA harms. They really should have “serious doubt” over RFK Jr. as Health and Human Services secretary.
Speaking of whom, his wife, Cheryl Hines, fears another cheating scandal if he lives alone in Washington DC.
What’s the world coming to when public toilet paper rolls are health hazards?
Shirt of the day (click on image)
KGB Quote of the Day:
No good deed goes unpunished.
--Clare Boothe Luce (Wikipedia link)
(More Clare Boothe Luce quotes from the KGB Quotations Database)
Among other things, today is- in no particular order of importance-
International Day of Awesomeness
KGB REPORT STUFF! (Click on link) On This Day:
1876 – The first successful test of a telephone was made by Alexander Graham Bell.
1891 – Almon Strowger- an undertaker upset because he suspected his town’s telephone operators were directing calls to his competitors- patented the Strowger switch, a device which led to the automation of telephone circuit switching.
1902 – The U.S. Court of Appeals ruled that although Thomas Edison had patented the Kinetoscope, he only owned rights to the sprocket system that moved perforated film through the camera, not the entire concept of the movie camera.
1933 – The Long Beach earthquake affected the Greater Los Angeles Area, leaving around 108 people dead.
1945 – World War II: The U.S. Army Air Force firebombed Tokyo, and the resulting conflagration killed more than 100,000 people, mostly civilians.
1969 – James Earl Ray pled guilty to assassinating Martin Luther King Jr. He later unsuccessfully attempted to recant.
1977 – Astronomers discovered the rings of Uranus.
1978 – "The Incredible Hulk" premiered on CBS. (Video)
1981 – "Bette Davis Eyes" single released by Kim Carnes (Billboard Song of the Year 1981) (Video)
1982 – Syzygy: All nine planets recognized at that time — Mercury to Pluto — aligned on the same side of the Sun.
1997 – "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" premiered on WB Television Network. (Video)
2000 – The Dot-com bubble peaked with the NASDAQ Composite stock market index reaching 5,048.62.
2006 – The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter arrived at Mars.
2015 – The family of Marvin Gaye won a record $7.3 million lawsuit for music copyright infringement against Robin Thicke, Pharrell Williams, and T.I.
2019 – Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, a Boeing 737 MAX, crashed shortly after take off, killing all 157 passengers and crew. This and the prior Lion Air Flight 610 led to all 387 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft being grounded worldwide.
2023 – Silicon Valley Bank collapsed due to a run on its deposits, in the second largest bank failure in US history. Its operations were taken over by the FDIC.
Read for free with Kindle Unlimited! Quotes by or about persons born on this date (Click on link after name for quotes):
1772 – Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel, German poet and critic (d. 1829)
1867 – Lillian Wald, American nurse, humanitarian, and author, founded the Henry Street Settlement (d. 1940)
1903 – Clare Boothe Luce, American playwright, journalist, and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Italy (d. 1987)
1940 – Chuck Norris, American actor, producer, and martial artist
1957 – Osama bin Laden, Saudi Arabian terrorist, founded al-Qaeda (d. 2011)
Other birthdays:
1888 – Barry Fitzgerald, Irish actor (d. 1961)
1928 – James Earl Ray, American criminal; assassin of Martin Luther King Jr. (d. 1998)
1992 – Emily Osment, American actress and singer-songwriter
1994 – Bad Bunny, Puerto Rican rapper, songwriter, producer, actor, and wrestler
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