Texas flood; tariffs: "It's all fake."; cognitive decline; Civil War II by 2035; drug-induced zombies
It's National Dive Bar Day!
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Knee Deep in the Hoopla
Texas officials face scrutiny over response to catastrophic and deadly flooding.
Six of the biggest challenges facing Musk’s new political party.
‘He likes the game too much’: Why Trump isn’t sweating his lack of trade deals. “Trump knows the most interesting part of his presidency is the tariff conversation,” said a person close to the White House, familiar with the trade talks and granted anonymity to discuss sensitive negotiations. “I find it hard to believe he’s going to surrender it that easily. It’s all fake. There’s no deadline. It’s a self-imposed landmark in this theatrical show, and that’s where we are.”
America has two labor markets now. Americans live in separate economic realities: Those with a job are likely to stay employed, but those without one are likely to stay unemployed.
This speech pattern is a clear indicator that a person is in cognitive decline. Uh oh.
A Tesla robotaxi inexplicably drove into a parked car.
Pop, soda or coke? A linguist explains the history behind the various names for the drink.
This device uses a laser to shoot down 30 mosquitoes per second — LiDAR-guided 'Photonmatrix' has up to 6-meter kill zone, can gauge distance, orientation, and body size in 3 milliseconds. (But it isn't cheap, starting from nearly $500, and this developer has no prior crowdfunding history.)
Common motion sickness drug being used to turn people into 'zombies'.
Expert: I'll tell you why the US is close to Civil War 2 and exactly which state to watch. TLDR: California by 2035.
Does your finger length predict sexual behavior? A new study says yes. If you’re a Japanese rat.
Google warns all Gmail users to upgrade accounts—this is why. Start using passkeys.
Ranked: The world’s most common passwords.
Shaking up the aisles: Walmart's latest checkout changes spark debate.
Quote of the Day:
Early rising may not be a vice... but it is certainly no virtue. The old saw about the early bird just goes to show that the worm should have stayed in bed.
--Robert A. Heinlein (Wikipedia link)
(More Robert A. Heinlein quotes from the KGB Quotations Database)
Today’s holidays:
Chocolate Day, Father-Daughter Take a Walk Together Day, Global Forgiveness Day, National Dive Bar Day, National Koi Day, National Macaroni Day, National Strawberry Sundae Day, Tell the Truth Day, and World Kiswahili Language Day.
Astronomy Picture of the Day from NASA.
On This Day:
2035 - Launch date of NASA's Aries 3 mission to Mars in the novel and movie "The Martian".
2009 - Memorial service held for singer Michael Jackson at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California; worldwide audience estimated at over 2.5 billion. (Video)
2007 – The first Live Earth benefit concert was held in 11 locations around the world.
2005 – A series of four explosions occured on London's transport system, killing 56 people, including four suicide bombers, and injuring over 700 others.
1992 - The New York Court of Appeals ruled that women have the same right as men to go topless in public.
1981 - US President Ronald Reagan appointed Sandra Day O'Connor to become the first female member of the Supreme Court of the United States.
1962 – "The Stripper", an instrumental single by David Rose and his Orchestra hit #1 in the US. (Video)
1958 – US President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Alaska Statehood Act into law.
1954 - Elvis Presley made his radio debut when WHBQ Memphis played his first recording for Sun Records, "That's All Right". (Video)
1952 – The ocean liner SS United States passed Bishop Rock on her maiden voyage, breaking the transatlantic speed record to become the fastest passenger ship in the world.
1936 - RCA broadcast the first real TV program, a variety show. (Video)
1930 – Industrialist Henry J. Kaiser began construction of Boulder Dam (now known as Hoover Dam).
1928 - Sliced bread was sold for the first time (on the inventor's 48th birthday) by the Chillicothe Baking Company of Chillicothe, Missouri.
1907 - Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. staged his first Follies on the roof of the New York Theater in New York City.
1865 - Mary Surratt, Lewis Powell, David Herold and George Atzerodt were executed for their role in the conspiracy to assassinate US President Abraham Lincoln
1863 - The United States began its first military draft; exemptions cost $300.
1456 - A retrial verdict acquitted Joan of Arc of heresy 25 years after her death.
(For comprehensive lists of the day’s historical events, check here, here, and here.)
Some Birthdays:
1980 – Michelle Kwan, American figure skater
1966 - Jim Gaffigan, American comedian, actor, producer, and screenwriter
1963 - Vonda Shepard, American singer-songwriter and actress (Video)
1959 – Billy Campbell, American actor
1949 - Shelley Duvall, American actress, writer, and producer (died 2024) (Video)
1943 – Joel Siegel, American journalist and critic (died 2007)
1940 - Ringo Starr, English singer-songwriter, drummer, and actor (Video)
1933 - David McCullough, American historian and author (died 2022)
1928 – Patricia Hitchcock, English actress (died 2021)
1927 - Doc Severinsen, American trumpet player and conductor (Video)
1924 – Mary Ford, American singer and guitarist (died 1977)
1919 – Jon Pertwee, English actor (died 1996)
1907 - Robert A. Heinlein, American science fiction writer and screenwriter (d. 1988) (Video)
1906 - Satchel Paige, American baseball player and coach (d. 1982)
1901 - Sam Katzman, American director and producer (d. 1973)
1899 - George Cukor, American director and producer (d. 1983) (Video)
1860 - Gustav Mahler, Austrian composer and conductor (d. 1911) (Video)
(A more complete list of today’s birthdays.)
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