✊ Juneteenth celebrations emphasize ending racial disparities
After Opal Lee led hundreds in a walk through her Texas hometown to celebrate Juneteenth this weekend, the 95-year-old Black woman who helped successfully push for the holiday to get national recognition said it’s important that people learn the history behind it.
A year after President Joe Biden signed legislation making June 19 the nation’s 12th federal holiday, people across the US gathered at events filled with music, food and fireworks. Celebrations also included an emphasis on learning about history and addressing racial disparities. Many Black people celebrated the day just as they did before any formal recognition.
Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day, commemorates the day in 1865 when Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, to order freedom for the enslaved people of the state — two months after the Confederacy had surrendered in the Civil War.
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After Opal Lee led hundreds in a walk through her Texas hometown to celebrate Juneteenth this weekend, the 95-year-old Black woman who helped successfully push for the holiday to get national recognition said it’s important that people learn the history behind it.
A year after President Joe Biden signed legislation making June 19 the nation’s 12th federal holiday, people across the US gathered at events filled with music, food and fireworks. Celebrations also included an emphasis on learning about history and addressing racial disparities. Many Black people celebrated the day just as they did before any formal recognition.
Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day, commemorates the day in 1865 when Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, to order freedom for the enslaved people of the state — two months after the Confederacy had surrendered in the Civil War.
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🌅 Hundreds of homeless die in extreme heat
Excessive heat causes more weather-related deaths in the United States than hurricanes, flooding and tornadoes combined. Around the country, heat contributes to some 1,500 deaths annually, and advocates estimate about half of those people are homeless.
Last summer, a heat wave blasted the normally temperate US Northwest and had Seattle residents sleeping in their yards and on roofs, or fleeing to hotels with air conditioning. Across the state, several people presumed to be homeless died outdoors, including a man slumped behind a gas station.
In Oregon, officials opened 24-hour cooling centers for the first time. Volunteer teams fanned out with water and popsicles to homeless encampments on Portland’s outskirts. Many such deaths are never confirmed as heat related and aren’t always noticed because of the stigma of homelessness and lack of connection to family.
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Excessive heat causes more weather-related deaths in the United States than hurricanes, flooding and tornadoes combined. Around the country, heat contributes to some 1,500 deaths annually, and advocates estimate about half of those people are homeless.
Last summer, a heat wave blasted the normally temperate US Northwest and had Seattle residents sleeping in their yards and on roofs, or fleeing to hotels with air conditioning. Across the state, several people presumed to be homeless died outdoors, including a man slumped behind a gas station.
In Oregon, officials opened 24-hour cooling centers for the first time. Volunteer teams fanned out with water and popsicles to homeless encampments on Portland’s outskirts. Many such deaths are never confirmed as heat related and aren’t always noticed because of the stigma of homelessness and lack of connection to family.
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🎹 Fleetwood Mac star Brett Tuggle dies aged 70 after cancer battle
Brett Tuggle, a journeyman keyboardist who logged two decades in Fleetwood Mac during their reunion era and also served as a founding member of the David Lee Roth Band, died June 19 from complications related to cancer. He played keyboards on every Fleetwood Mac tour from 1997 to 2017.
He was a founding member of David Lee Roth's first solo band after Diamond Dave split with Van Halen. He was a member of Roth’s backing group from 1986 to 1994. Over the course of his long career, Tuggle also played with Jimmy Page, Rick Springfield, David Coverdale, John Kay and Steppenwolf, Styx’s Tommy Shaw, and Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels.
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Brett Tuggle, a journeyman keyboardist who logged two decades in Fleetwood Mac during their reunion era and also served as a founding member of the David Lee Roth Band, died June 19 from complications related to cancer. He played keyboards on every Fleetwood Mac tour from 1997 to 2017.
He was a founding member of David Lee Roth's first solo band after Diamond Dave split with Van Halen. He was a member of Roth’s backing group from 1986 to 1994. Over the course of his long career, Tuggle also played with Jimmy Page, Rick Springfield, David Coverdale, John Kay and Steppenwolf, Styx’s Tommy Shaw, and Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels.
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💭 Mark Zuckerberg Has So Many VR Headset Prototypes To Show Us
Meta*’s Reality Labs division has revealed new prototypes in its roadmap toward lightweight, hyper-realistic virtual reality graphics. Meta* CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Reality Labs chief scientist Michael Abrash, along with other Reality Labs members, presented their work at a virtual roundtable last week.
Zuckerberg reiterated plans to ship a high-end headset codenamed Project Cambria in 2022, the new model supports full VR as well as mixed reality, thanks to high-resolution cameras that can pass a video feed to an internal screen. It will also ship with eye tracking, a key feature for future Meta* headsets.
The idea is tailored for a mixed reality world where Meta* has staked much of its future — but today, the company is emphasizing the incremental steps along the way.
*Meta, Facebook, and Instagram are banned in Russia over extremist activities.
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Meta*’s Reality Labs division has revealed new prototypes in its roadmap toward lightweight, hyper-realistic virtual reality graphics. Meta* CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Reality Labs chief scientist Michael Abrash, along with other Reality Labs members, presented their work at a virtual roundtable last week.
Zuckerberg reiterated plans to ship a high-end headset codenamed Project Cambria in 2022, the new model supports full VR as well as mixed reality, thanks to high-resolution cameras that can pass a video feed to an internal screen. It will also ship with eye tracking, a key feature for future Meta* headsets.
The idea is tailored for a mixed reality world where Meta* has staked much of its future — but today, the company is emphasizing the incremental steps along the way.
*Meta, Facebook, and Instagram are banned in Russia over extremist activities.
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🎹 Pianist from South Korea wins Van Cliburn competition
An 18-year-old from South Korea has won the 16th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, one of the top showcases for the world’s best pianists. The competition held in Fort Worth, Texas, ended with Yunchan Lim becoming the competition’s youngest winner of the gold medal. His winnings include a cash award of $100,000 and three years of career management.
The competition was founded in 1962 in honor of the celebrated pianist Van Cliburn, who lived in Fort Worth. Cliburn, who died in 2013 at age 78, played for US presidents, royalty and heads of state around the world. The competition is traditionally held every four years. This year’s competition was originally scheduled for last year but was postponed due to the pandemic.
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An 18-year-old from South Korea has won the 16th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, one of the top showcases for the world’s best pianists. The competition held in Fort Worth, Texas, ended with Yunchan Lim becoming the competition’s youngest winner of the gold medal. His winnings include a cash award of $100,000 and three years of career management.
The competition was founded in 1962 in honor of the celebrated pianist Van Cliburn, who lived in Fort Worth. Cliburn, who died in 2013 at age 78, played for US presidents, royalty and heads of state around the world. The competition is traditionally held every four years. This year’s competition was originally scheduled for last year but was postponed due to the pandemic.
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🗣 Tuesday's House Jan. 6 committee hearing focusing on Trump's efforts to pressure state officials
Expected to appear before the panel are two GOP elections officials from Georgia, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Republican, and Gabriel Sterling, chief operating officer for the secretary of state's office, as well as Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers, also a Republican. Wandrea ArShaye "Shaye" Moss, a former election worker from Fulton County, Georgia, will also appear.
The next televised hearing will be on Tuesday at 1 p.m E.T. There will also be another January 6 hearing on Thursday. During remarks Saturday in Memphis as part of the "American Freedom Tour," Trump claimed without evidence the committee is doctoring video of depositions and accused its members of being "liars and con artists."
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Expected to appear before the panel are two GOP elections officials from Georgia, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Republican, and Gabriel Sterling, chief operating officer for the secretary of state's office, as well as Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers, also a Republican. Wandrea ArShaye "Shaye" Moss, a former election worker from Fulton County, Georgia, will also appear.
The next televised hearing will be on Tuesday at 1 p.m E.T. There will also be another January 6 hearing on Thursday. During remarks Saturday in Memphis as part of the "American Freedom Tour," Trump claimed without evidence the committee is doctoring video of depositions and accused its members of being "liars and con artists."
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🍬 Spray-on plant coating could replace wasteful plastic food wrap
Rutgers University and Harvard University researchers have developed a plant-based coating that would be greener and safer than plastic packaging. The approach "sprays" fibers based on biopolymer and polysaccharide (the most common carbohydrate in food) that wrap around your food.
The resulting protection is strong enough to protect against bruising, and includes natural antimicrobial agents (citric acid, nisin and thyme oil) that can fight harmful bacteria and viruses in addition to preventing spoilage.
In tests, the coating extended the shelf life of avocados about 50 percent. It takes just three days to biodegrade, and you can rinse the coating off with water.
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Rutgers University and Harvard University researchers have developed a plant-based coating that would be greener and safer than plastic packaging. The approach "sprays" fibers based on biopolymer and polysaccharide (the most common carbohydrate in food) that wrap around your food.
The resulting protection is strong enough to protect against bruising, and includes natural antimicrobial agents (citric acid, nisin and thyme oil) that can fight harmful bacteria and viruses in addition to preventing spoilage.
In tests, the coating extended the shelf life of avocados about 50 percent. It takes just three days to biodegrade, and you can rinse the coating off with water.
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🏛 Dave Chappelle declines having school theatre named after him
Comedian Dave Chappelle shocked the audience at a naming ceremony on Monday night when he revealed he would not have a theatre at the Duke Ellington High School be named after him. Instead, it will be called the "Theater of Artistic Freedom & Expression."
Once a student at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, the comedian explained that he did not want recent backlash against him to distract students from focusing on their art.
Last November, Dave visited the facility at a time when he was facing criticism after comments he made during a Netflix special were deemed transphobic. At the time, one student branded him "childish" and a bigot after he invited pupils who disagreed with him to speak during an assembly.
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Comedian Dave Chappelle shocked the audience at a naming ceremony on Monday night when he revealed he would not have a theatre at the Duke Ellington High School be named after him. Instead, it will be called the "Theater of Artistic Freedom & Expression."
Once a student at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, the comedian explained that he did not want recent backlash against him to distract students from focusing on their art.
Last November, Dave visited the facility at a time when he was facing criticism after comments he made during a Netflix special were deemed transphobic. At the time, one student branded him "childish" and a bigot after he invited pupils who disagreed with him to speak during an assembly.
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😳 Elon Musk's transgender daughter has filed a request to change her name in accordance with her new gender identity, and because "I no longer live with or wish to be related to my biological father in any way, shape or form."
▪️ The petition for both a name change and a new birth certificate reflecting 'her' new gender identity was filed with the Los Angeles County Superior Court in Santa Monica in April. It came to light recently in some online media reports.
▪️ The former Xavier Alexander Musk, who recently turned 18, the age of consent in California, has asked the court to change her gender recognition from male to female and to register her new name, according to court documents available online through PlainSite.org.
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▪️ The petition for both a name change and a new birth certificate reflecting 'her' new gender identity was filed with the Los Angeles County Superior Court in Santa Monica in April. It came to light recently in some online media reports.
▪️ The former Xavier Alexander Musk, who recently turned 18, the age of consent in California, has asked the court to change her gender recognition from male to female and to register her new name, according to court documents available online through PlainSite.org.
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🤔 Republican Governor Ron DeSantis is set to sign a bill which declares all religious services "essential" in the state of Florida.
▪️ Senate Bill 254, which passed through the Florida State Senate in January, states that an emergency declaration "may not directly or indirectly prohibit a religious institution from conducting regular religious services or activities."
▪️ The sponsor of the bill, Republican State Senator Jason Brodeur, said that the bill will prevent future bans on places of worship under a state of emergency.
🗯 "It applies to all emergency orders that would come in. It would basically say if Publix is open, so is your place of worship," Brodeur said. "What it doesn't seek to do is what we've seen in some of the other states, where churches, synagogues and mosques were singled out for congregated activities."
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▪️ Senate Bill 254, which passed through the Florida State Senate in January, states that an emergency declaration "may not directly or indirectly prohibit a religious institution from conducting regular religious services or activities."
▪️ The sponsor of the bill, Republican State Senator Jason Brodeur, said that the bill will prevent future bans on places of worship under a state of emergency.
🗯 "It applies to all emergency orders that would come in. It would basically say if Publix is open, so is your place of worship," Brodeur said. "What it doesn't seek to do is what we've seen in some of the other states, where churches, synagogues and mosques were singled out for congregated activities."
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😄 Donald Trump mocks President Biden by promising Americans never ride a bike, obviously referring to his recent fall from a two wheel vehicle.
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🥴 Vice President Kamala Harris bungled a history lesson about the Juneteenth holiday on Monday, telling kids that black people were enslaved in America for 400 years — overstating the actual time period by more than 150 years.
🗯 “I think that we all know today is a day to celebrate the principle of freedom,” Harris told a group of about two dozen elementary school-aged children at the National Museum of African American History & Culture in Washington. “And think about it in terms of the context of history, knowing that black people in America were not free for 400 years of slavery.”
The first African slaves arrived in the American colonies in 1619 in Virginia. Slavery was abolished through the 13th Amendment, which was ratified in 1865 — ending 246 years of the practice, not 400.
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🗯 “I think that we all know today is a day to celebrate the principle of freedom,” Harris told a group of about two dozen elementary school-aged children at the National Museum of African American History & Culture in Washington. “And think about it in terms of the context of history, knowing that black people in America were not free for 400 years of slavery.”
The first African slaves arrived in the American colonies in 1619 in Virginia. Slavery was abolished through the 13th Amendment, which was ratified in 1865 — ending 246 years of the practice, not 400.
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📸 Fox News host Tucker Carlson has accused a production crew for The Late Show With Stephen Colbert of "insurrection" following their Thursday night arrest at the US Capitol.
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