Friday, June 20
In The NEWS
Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> Oklahoma City Thunder take on the Indiana Pacers tonight (8:30 pm ET, ABC) in Game 6 of the NBA Finals; the Thunder are up 3-2 in the best-of-seven series and will look to win the franchise's second NBA title (More) | Buss family to sell majority stake in Los Angeles Lakers at a $10B valuation, the largest ever sale of a US sports team (More)
> Film and TV mogul Tyler Perry accused of sexual assault in $260M lawsuit; actor Derek Dixon alleges Perry threatened career retaliation if Dixon didn't accept his advances (More) | Karen Read found not guilty in murder of boyfriend, police officer John O'Keefe (More)
> David Hekili Kenui Bell, actor best known for "Lilo & Stitch" live-action film adaptation, dies at age 46 (More)
Science & Technology
> US health officials approve twice-a-year preventive HIV shot after clinical trials showed a reduction of at least 96% in new infections; researchers say it may bring a long-sought end to the AIDS epidemic (More) | See previous write-up (More)
> Self-driving startup Waymo files permit to conduct self-driving testing in Manhattan with human oversight; company has fully autonomous cars in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Austin (More)
> China’s “Dragon Man” skull identified as belonging to a Denisovan; 146,000-year-old specimen allows facial reconstruction of the ancient human relative (More) | Fewer than a dozen remains of the species, mostly small fragments, have ever been recovered (More)
Business & Markets
> US stock markets close mixed (S&P 500 -0.0%, Dow -0.1%, Nasdaq +0.1%) (More) | Federal Reserve leaves benchmark interest rates unchanged, still forecasts two more rate cuts this year (More) | See overview of the Fed's projections (More)
> US Steel shares stop trading on NYSE as Japan's Nippon Steel finalizes its nearly $15B purchase of the iconic American firm; combined company will become world's fourth-largest steelmaker (More)
> Cryptocurrency firm Circle shares rise roughly 34% a day after the US Senate passed a bill to establish federal regulations for stablecoins—cryptocurrencies pegged to the US dollar; bill now heads to the House (More)
Politics & World Affairs
> Israel says it destroyed Iran’s internal security headquarters (More) | The US moves at least 30 military planes to Europe as President Donald Trump weighs direct US involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict (More) | See live updates (More)
> Federal judge blocks executive order limiting passport sex markers to male and female (More) | State Department resumes processing of foreign student visas, requires access to applicants' social media accounts (More)
> Medicare and Social Security trust funds projected to run short of funds by 2033 and 2034 respectively, limiting full benefit payouts, per new report (More)
SOURCE: 1440 NEWS
The Weak Cannot Grow Old
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My mother and my father used to both tell me that growing old was not for weak people. I never fully understood what that meant until I grew old and then grew even older.
Aside from all the typical childhood illnesses and except for having HEPATITIS twice before graduating high school (which now shows up in my bloodwork as never having Hepatitis before - go figure?), I HAVE NEVER BEEN SICK until I reached the age of 60.
Now, I have always seen both my family doctor and dentist twice a year for as long as I have lived. But, since elementary school, I have never had a cold for instance, nor have I had the flu. I may have felt bad for twenty-four hours but nothing more.
At age SIXTY... that changed... I had a triple bypass level heart attack, a few months after being diagnosed with non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. I got the flu a couple of times. Five years later I was diagnosed with Melanoma that went away and came back twice and for which I am still being treated. Chemo treatments screwed up my Thyroid and three years ago, I had 5 lower back disks fused.
I would also like to add that up until the age of sixty, I was very active, running, walking, daily exercising, using strength machines and was never overweight. Due to the anti-nausea meds, I have been taking since age 60, my weight has increased to where I am now 20-30 pounds over my recommended weight limit.
At 77 years of age, almost 78, I can fully understand and appreciate what my parents said about the weak not growing old. Old age is not for sissies... it is serious business.
My advice is stay young as long as you can and if you cannot stay young, stay healthy and never allow yourself to get overweight. Your body will no longer like you if and when you do.
Inhibitory Neurons May Hold the Key to Spatial Learning and Memory
Summary: A new study explores how the brain quickly learns and remembers important locations by focusing not on excitatory neurons, but on inhibitory ones called parvalbumin interneurons (PVs). These PVs act like circuit breakers, briefly reducing their activity to allow learning-related neurons to strengthen connections.
Using optogenetics and virtual reality mazes in mice, researchers found that learning was blocked when PV inhibition didn’t decrease at the right time. The findings challenge the idea that more brain activity always equals more learning and could reshape approaches to Alzheimer’s and memory enhancement.
Key Facts:
- Dynamic Inhibition: Parvalbumin interneurons reduce activity just before learning moments, allowing memory-related circuits to strengthen.
- Predictive Signal: The decrease in inhibition predicted a reward before it occurred, revealing how the brain primes itself for learning.
- Clinical Implications: Improper timing of inhibition may explain memory impairments in Alzheimer’s and learning disorders. Source: Georgia Institute of Technology
Thursday, June 19
Robert Reich
A reflection on Juneteenth
Friends,
The Supreme Court recent unanimous ruling in Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services hasn’t got nearly the attention it deserves.
On the surface, the ruling seems innocent enough. The Court merely decided that white and straight employees who allege they’ve been discriminated against don't need to meet a higher standard of proof than do Black or LGBTQ+ employees who sue for discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.
(Prior to this ruling, some courts had required that white or straight employees demonstrate not only that they were discriminated against but they also worked in a discriminatory environment.)
The Court’s decision in Ames appears a logical extension of the 2023 ruling by its six conservative justices ending race-conscious admission programs at colleges and universities across the country.
At A Glance
The history of Juneteenth in photos.
... and how red drink became the holiday's official beverage.
... and meet the man who created the Juneteenth flag.
The story of Walt Whitman's lost novel. (via YouTube)
The 10 best places to live in the world.
Astronomers release colorful image of Sculptor galaxy.
MLB baseballs don't fly as far as they used to.
See Jeremy Allen White as the Boss in Springsteen movie trailer.
Clickbait: Trader Joe's opens across the street from Trader Joe's.
In The NEWS
Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> The 2025 James Beard Award winners announced; Jungsik Yim of New York City's Jungsik named outstanding chef, while Frasca Food and Wine in Boulder, Colorado, wins outstanding restaurant (More)
> R. Kelly suffers near-fatal overdose in prison, alleges he was purposely given too much medication by prison staff; Kelly is serving a 30-year sentence on sex trafficking charges (More) | Doctor in Matthew Perry's death case to plead guilty to providing Perry with ketamine in month leading up to the actor's overdose death (More) | Anne Burrell, chef and Food Network star, dies at age 55 (More)
> TV viewership via streaming tops combined broadcast and cable viewing in the US for first time with 44.8% of TV consumed via streaming (More)
Science & Technology
> OpenAI awarded $200M defense contract to develop AI tools for the Pentagon; company partnered with autonomous defense tech firm Anduril in December (More)
> Octopuses use their arms to sample the microbial populations on different surfaces, distinguishing between food, eggs, and regular objects (More)
> Genetically modified yeast creates hydroxyapatite—a naturally produced mineral with commercial applications—out of human urine; process may eventually lower the cost of wastewater treatment (More)
Business & Markets
> US stock markets close lower (S&P 500 -0.8%, Dow -0.7%, Nasdaq -0.9%) as Israel-Iran conflict continues (More) | Federal Reserve's two-day policy meeting concludes today; the central bank is expected to keep its benchmark interest rates steady (More)
> Elon Musk's AI startup xAI reportedly in talks to raise $4.3B in equity funding (More) | Amazon CEO Andy Jassy says rollout of generative AI will reshape company's workforce (More) | Amazon expands Prime Day event to four days, will take place July 8 to 11 (More)
> Eli Lilly to acquire gene-editing biotech firm Verve Therapeutics for up to $1.3B; Verve shares rise over 80% on the news (More)
Politics & World Affairs
> Department of Homeland Security directs ICE agents to continue raids on farms, hotels, and restaurants, reversing guidance issued last week (More) | ICE agents arrest New York City comptroller and mayoral candidate Brad Lander for allegedly assaulting and impeding officers while escorting a defendant from immigration court; Lander was released hours later (More, w/video)
> At least a dozen killed—including a US citizen—and over 100 wounded in Russian drone and missile barrage in Kyiv, marking one of the deadliest attacks on the Ukrainian capital (More) | At least 59 killed and over 200 wounded while waiting for aid trucks in Gaza; Israeli forces say they are reviewing the incident (More)
> Indonesia issues highest-level alert after Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki erupts in the south-central region, spewing hot ash around 30,000 feet high (More, w/video)
SOURCE: 1440 NEWS
Dogs and Cats
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My closeness to animals started at an early age when our parents brought a puppy into our home for my sister and me; a dachshund who we named Rebel. Rebel lived to be twenty-two years old and finally had to be put down due to health complications. That task of taking Rebel to the Vet for that to happen fell on the shoulders of our father who said he would never have another animal in his house after that. He was true to his word.
My love of animals has shifted from dogs to cats although, I would had never imagined I would have ever changed. It happened when I moved to TN and met this woman years after my divorce who had cats.
Cats are easier to take care of than dogs as they do not have to be house-broken or walked. You just create a litter box and even the smallest kitten knows what to do.
Cats can be both independent as well as needy and can be friendly as well as standoffish. Probably this is the reason why it is difficult to have dog owners like cats, since dogs are friendly all the time and never want to be alone.
Currently, my wife and I have three cats who are 13/14 years old and will only be around for a few more years. They are like our children. We have all sorts of cat trees for them to play on and right now they sleep on the bed in our spare bedroom for guests. Our cats get cold in the winter, so we have 3 heating pads under their blankets to keep them warm.
We moved to a smaller house two years ago but in that other house, we had built them a screened in area outside the basement. They could get to that area anytime they wanted through a swinging cat door. They had several areas out there, shelves that we had built, where they could lay out and sun themselves.
These will be our last animals, and I cannot imagine my life would have been like after 1990 without cats in it.
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