The word of the day (sigh); reader re-do; life without AC; fungi take over; superbugs in your shrimp
It's Global Beatles Day!
PLEASE NOTE- I’ve implemented some reader suggestions:
The items in the On This Day and Birthday sections are now presented in reverse chronological order; i.e., the lists now contain most recent entries first. As a reader pointed out, this lists the (probably) most interesting items first, allowing one to skip down to the next section when one’s interest in Boomer or even more ancient generational items begins to flag.
Also, video clips will, when possible, begin at the point in the video most relevant to the listed item. If you find the topic interesting, you can just manually go to the beginning of the video and watch the entire thing.
Thanks for your suggestions. Keep them coming!
Please like and share. It really helps!
Knee Deep in the Hoopla
The word of the day is … (Video)
Trump drops F-bomb after Israel-Iran ceasefire violations, wants Nobel Peace Prize: A Closer Look <Video>
Trump drops the F-bomb | Operation Midnight Hammer failed | ICE's Everglades Internment Camp: Stephen Colbert (Video)
Oh well. Early US intelligence report suggests US strikes only set back Iran’s nuclear program by months.
Superbugs in your shrimp: Deadly colistin-resistance genes ride on imported seafood. These genes can hop between bacteria via plasmids, potentially turning once-curable infections into deadly threats.
The Bureaucrat and the Billionaire: Inside DOGE’s Chaotic Takeover of Social Security. The drama offers a case study in how Elon Musk’s team sought to run a critical government agency through misinformation and social media blasts — and how longtime employees responded.
The big difference between Donald Trump and Teddy Roosevelt. Trump is regularly compared to Teddy Roosevelt, but they diverge on a critical issue. Teddy said it best.
To count to one million without stopping takes 11 days. To count to one billion takes nearly 32 years. To count Elon Musk’s fortune would take more than 13,000 years. Who needs that much money?
'Best place to have herpes': New Zealand.
RFK Jr. wants every American to be sporting a wearable within four years. It’s worth noting that the current nominee for the U.S. Surgeon General, Casey Means, is the co-founder of a company that provides continuous glucose monitors and other health trackers to clients.
Cat naps, ‘piddle packs’ and amphetamines: Here’s what it can take to complete a marathon bombing run. And, coincidentally, to produce this newsletter.
While enjoying your air conditioning during the current heat wave, consider how people coped with high temperatures before the availability of AC: (Video)
Imagine a world where the homes we live in, the clothes we wear, and even the sensors in our electronics aren’t manufactured, but grown. Mycelium, the root structure of fungi, is shaking up everything from sustainable construction to meatless bacon. Video: Why mushrooms are starting to replace everything. Hokey smoke. This means that ludicrous spore drive in Star Trek: Discovery could some day actually be a thing?!
Quote of the Day:
The further a society drifts from truth, the more it will hate those that speak it.
--George Orwell (Wikipedia link)
(More George Orwell quotes from the KGB Quotations Database)
Today’s holidays:
Bourdain Day, Color TV Day, Day of the Seafarer, Global Beatles Day, Goat Cheese Day, Leon Day, Mitch Lane Day, National Catfish Day, National Croatian Wine Day, National Parchment Day, National Police Community Cooperative Day, National Strawberry Parfait Day, and World Vitiligo Day.
Astronomy Picture of the Day from NASA.
On This Day:
2009 – Michael Jackson died of acute propofol intoxication in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 50. (Video)
2009 - Actress Farrah Fawcett died of cancer in Santa Monica, California at the age of 62. (Video)
1998 – In Clinton v. City of New York, the United States Supreme Court decided that the Line Item Veto Act of 1996 is unconstitutional.
1996 - The film “Independence Day” had its official premiere in Los Angeles. (Video)
1993 – “Late Night with David Letterman” ended its run on NBC. <Video>
On August 30, “Late Show with David Letterman” debuted on CBS. <Video>1991 – The breakup of Yugoslavia begins when Slovenia and Croatia declare their independence from Yugoslavia.
1984 – Prince released his sixth studio album, “Purple Rain”. <Video>
1982 – The science fiction film “Blade Runner” was released in the United States. <Video>
1981 – Microsoft was restructured to become an incorporated business in its home state of Washington.
1978 – The rainbow flag representing gay pride was flown for the first time during the San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Parade.
The supernatural horror film “The Omen” was released in the United States. <Video>
1967 – First live multinational multi-satellite television production: "Our World" broadcast features 19 acts representing 19 nations including The Beatles singing "All You Need Is Love". <Video>
1951 – CBS made the first commercial color television broadcast from New York City. <Video>
1950 – The Korean War began with the invasion of South Korea by North Korea.
1948 – The United States Congress passed the Displaced Persons Act to allow World War II refugees to immigrate to the United States above quota restrictions. <Video>
1947 – The Diary of a Young Girl (better known as The Diary of Anne Frank) was published.
1910 – Igor Stravinsky's ballet The Firebird premiered in Paris, bringing him to prominence as a composer. <Video>
1910 – The United States Congress passed the Mann Act, which prohibits interstate transport of women or girls for "immoral purposes"; the ambiguous language would be used to selectively prosecute people for years to come. <Video>
1906 – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania millionaire Harry Thaw shot and killed prominent architect Stanford White. <Video>
1876 – Battle of the Little Bighorn: 300 men of the U.S. 7th Cavalry Regiment under Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer were wiped out by 5,000 Lakota, Cheyenne and Arapaho, led by Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse. <Video>
1848 – A photograph of the June Days uprising becomes the first known instance of photojournalism.
(For comprehensive lists of the day’s historical events, check here, here, and here.)
Some Birthdays:
1975 – Linda Cardellini, American actress <Video>
1971 – Angela Kinsey, American actress <Video>
1963 – George Michael, English singer-songwriter and producer (died 2016) <Video>
1961 – Ricky Gervais, English comedian, actor, director, producer and singer <Video>
1956 – Anthony Bourdain, American chef and author (died 2018) (Video)
1954 – Sonia Sotomayor, American lawyer and jurist (Video)
1947 – Jimmie Walker, American actor (Video)
1944 – Gary David Goldberg, American screenwriter and producer (died 2013) (Video)
1943 – Carly Simon, American singer-songwriter (Video)
1925 – June Lockhart, American actress (Video)
1924 – Sidney Lumet, American director, producer, and screenwriter (died 2011) (Video)
1903 – George Orwell, British novelist, essayist, and critic (died 1950) (Video)
1894 – Hermann Oberth, Romanian-German physicist and engineer (died 1989) (Video)
1887 – George Abbott, American director, producer, and screenwriter (died 1995)
(A more complete list of today’s birthdays.)
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