Good Tuesday morning.
On this day in 1752, one of the founding fathers of this country, Benjamin Franklin, may or may not have taken a kite into a lightning storm to “discover” electricity.
The interwebs are conflicted as to whether this supposed event took place on June 15 or some other day in June. BUT, there’s also conflicting information as to whether the incident ever happened at all.
There is ample evidence that Franklin WAS fascinated by electricity and DID invent the lightning rod.
If Franklin actually did to the whole key-on-the-kite-string thing, be probably would have been electrocuted to death. Also, assuming this experiment did, in fact, take place, what Franklin “discovered” was not electricity. Electrical forces had been recognized for more than a thousand years, and scientists had worked extensively with static electricity.
Franklin’s experiment demonstrated the connection between lightning and electricity. His kite picked up the ambient electrical charge from the storm.
Franklin wasn’t the first to demonstrate the electrical nature of lightning (if he actually even did so in the first place). A month earlier before his supposed kite stunt, the whole thing had already been successfully done by Thomas-François Dalibard in northern France.
A year after Franklin’s alleged kite experiment, Baltic physicist Georg Wilhelm Richmann attempted a similar trial but was killed when he was struck by ball lightning (a rare weather phenomenon).
In 1753, Franklin received the prestigious Copley Medal from the Royal Society, in recognition of his “curious experiments and observations on electricity.”
So, there you go. Glad I could clear that up for you.
There’s a new Google doodle today…it’s the winning entry of the site’s annual “doodle for Google” contest, which is open to K-12 students across the U.S., and the winner is Milo Golding, 16, of Kentucky. His prize: a $30,000 college scholarship and a $50,000 technology award for his school.
The theme of this year’s contest was “I am strong because…”
“I am strong because I have hope,” Milo said, describing his entry and its inspiration. “I once asked my father how he overcame obstacles and became who he wanted to be. ” His father, Deeno Golding. replied, “Hope, hope keeps me strong.”
If that doesn’t inspire you today, I’m not sure what will.
There’s a weather alert worth noting this morning. Areas of dense fog will continue across portions of the southern Adirondacks, the Lake George and Saratoga region, the Capital Region, Mohawk Valley, eastern Catskills and Schoharie County, as well as central and northern Taconics and southern Vermont through 9 a.m. Visibility could be significantly impaired. Be aware.
We’re in for another day of showers and scattered thunderstorms. (Oh, Henry, I’m so sorry for your anxiety). Temperatures will again be in the low 70s.
In the headlines…
NATO leaders meeting in Brussels largely backed Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan, according to a senior administration official present for the talks, as the president made his first trip to the alliance’s headquarters since taking office.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson was seen correcting Biden at this weekend’s G7 summit in England after the president interrupted him to wrongly suggest that Johnson had failed to introduce South Africa’s president at a roundtable of world leaders.
Biden and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held a bilateral meeting following a meeting of NATO leaders in Brussels.
A meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden in Geneva tomorrow is unlikely to yield concrete deals but the talks will still be useful, a Kremlin aide said.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell made clear that he would block a Supreme Court nominee in 2024 if Republicans take back the chamber — a comment certain to increase liberal pressure on Justice Stephen Breyer to step down before next fall.
The United States has now lost over 600,000 mothers, fathers, children, siblings and friends to COVID-19, a painful reminder that death, sickness and grief continue even as the country begins to return to something resembling pre-pandemic normal.
Shi Zhengli, a top Chinese virologist, is once again at the center of clashing narratives about her research on coronaviruses at a state lab in Wuhan,the city where the pandemic first emerged.
Novavax, a small American company buoyed by lavish support from the U.S. government, announced the results of a clinical trial of its Covid-19 vaccine in the U.S. and Mexico, finding that its two-shot inoculation provides potent protection against the coronavirus.
The vaccine uses a protein of SARS-CoV-2, a different technology from the COVID-19 vaccines authorized so far, and delivered 90.4% overall efficacy against symptomatic COVID-19 infections, and 100% protection against moderate and severe disease.
The COVID-19 strain fueling infections across the U.K. is linked to a different set of symptoms, including headache, sore throat, and runny nose.
Public health officials in the U.K. say they are increasingly confident that vaccines offer significant protection against the Delta variant of coronavirus, a hopeful sign as the highly transmissible strain spreads across the world.
Johnson postponed by four weeks the moment dubbed “freedom day” by the tabloids, declining to roll back COVID restrictions in the UK after a spike in cases of a highly transmissible new variant that may cause more serious disease than earlier variants.
Companies are stepping up the pressure on workers to get vaccinated—not necessarily with mandates but with strong nudges.
Legal experts say vaccine requirements, particularly in a public health crisis, will probably continue be upheld in court as long as employers provide reasonable exemptions, including for medical conditions or religious objections.
Businesses and consumers are bracing for yet another shipping crisis, as a COVID-19 outbreak in southern China disrupts port services and delays deliveries, driving up costs again.
Stressed companies piled on debt during the pandemic as interest rates plummeted, but could face a reckoning in the next economic downturn.
For U.S. companies that rely on seasonal hires or foreign professionals, an already tight labor market is being further strained by coronavirus-related immigration backlogs and travel restrictions that prevent employees from coming to the country.
A customer who argued about wearing a face mask at a Georgia supermarket shot and killed a cashier and wounded a deputy sheriff working off duty at the store, law enforcement officials said.
Vermont has reached its 80% COVID vaccination goal. Gov. Phil Scott made the announcement and said, as promised, he is dropping all existing COVID restrictions.
California will give away travel packages for vacation destinations in the state as another incentive to get more people vaccinated against COVID-19.
New York state has given at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine to 70% of its adult population, CDC data shows.
New York is continuing to roll out the incentives as it works to spur more people to get vaccinated against coronavirus. The latest inducement is an unlimited seven-day public transportation pass for anyone who gets vaccinated between June 15 and July 14.
Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone has announced WWE Wrestler and World Champion Mick Foley recently filmed a PSA to encourage Suffolk County residents to get vaccinated.
Seven of the state’s 25 zip codes with the lowest rates of coronavirus vaccinations are located in New York City, and six of them are in Brooklyn, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said.
“It’s not the finish line at 70, but we’re coming around the last turn on the track and we have to focus and we have to know that we’re doing well,” Cuomo said.
The operator of the pop-up COVID vaccination site in the former “NFL Experience” building in Times Square sent out an emergency notice informing 899 patients that it erroneously injected them with expired Pfizer doses.
Civil liberties advocates in New York are calling for tightening the safeguards around vaccine data, worried that vulnerable communities may be less inclined to receive a COVID-19 vaccine without assurances their privacy would be protected.
New York City will honor what Mayor Bill de Blasio called “the heroes of the fight against Covid,” from healthcare professionals to bodega workers, with a ticker-tape parade on July 7.
The 2021 New York State Fair, an end-of-summer celebration at the New York State Fairgrounds from August 20 to September 6 in Syracuse, will increase capacity to 100 percent and reopen many popular buildings with additional vendors.
The Fair will run for 18 days, which is the longest duration ever for this annual event, while the admission price is lower than it has been in years.
The last six months may rank among the most challenging for Cuomo in the 10 years he’s been in office, but he nevertheless praised the legislative session in Albany as a superlative success.
Environmentalists in New York weren’t satisfied as the legislative session drew to a quiet and uneventful close last week.
Cuomo signed a bill passed by the Democratic-led New York state Legislature funding the Assembly’s ongoing impeachment investigation into the governor — including funding for any trial that may result from it.
State lawmakers this month advanced a bill that would enact a statewide ban on the use of coal tar-based sealant products commonly used for driveways and parking lots.
Efforts to reform the Family Court system moved forward at the end of the session when Cuomo appointed a commission to issue recommendations on the mental health professionals who play a crucial role in determining child custody disputes.
Two longtime New York City fixtures are enmeshed in a hotly contested primary fight for the Republican nomination in the race to succeed de Blasio – a race the GOP insists it can win.
Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams again came out on top in a new poll about mayoral candidates.
De Blasio is not making a public endorsement in the primary race, but he is believed to favor Adams as his replacement.
Adams, took aim at his rival Kathryn Garcia as the campaign entered its final week and a new poll showed that the two candidates were the leading contenders.
Adams and Garcia are neck-and-neck as primary voters’ first choice at 21 percent and 20 percent, respectively, with attorney Maya Wiley in third at 18 percent, followed by entrepreneur Andrew Yang at 13 percent.
Actor and longtime activist Danny Glover is backing Adams for mayor.
In the final weeks of the mayor’s race, donations have poured into Garcia’s campaign.
Yang won the endorsement of the police union that represents current and retired NYPD captains, including Adams, an apparent blow to the Brooklyn borough president who’s emphasized public safety during the campaign.
Yang has benefited throughout the primary race from the help of an influential YouTuber and podcaster without properly disclosing the partnership, Adams is set to allege to the city’s Campaign Finance Board.
Wiley, who has consolidated progressive support in the final hours of the Democratic primary, stopped at a polling site in Flatbush, Brooklyn, to cast her ballot, which she had to do twice after making a mistake on the first one.
Wiley claims she delivered “universal broadband access” to New Yorkers as de Blasio’s counsel, but a new report reveals that her deal to convert old telephone booths into free Wi-Fi hotspots fell far short of its goal.
Scott Stringer dismissed a sexual assault allegation leveled by a former waitress who earlier this month accused him of unwanted groping and kissing in 1992, claiming despite two sexual misconduct allegations, voters “know the kind of person” he is.
De Blasio shrugged off concerns about the mayhem and violence overrunning the famed Greenwich Village green space in recent weeks.
The New York Police Department has set up a mobile command post and increased patrols in the heart of Midtown Manhattan following a surge in robberies, assaults and shootings along a corridor popular with tourists and office workers.
An appeals court blasted the NYPD for not doing enough to help a stressed-out cop who later killed himself — even as it upheld the decision to dismiss his estate’s lawsuit against the city.
New York City straphangers suffered through a rough day of delays yesterday as MTA officials scrambled to put enough workers in the field to run full subway service.
Democrat Matt Putorti has formally launched his bid for the 21st Congressional District as he seeks the nomination to challenge Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik next year.
Despite a bystander heroically jumping into the water at Shepard Park Beach to save a man in distress, the victim – a 65-year-old Bronx man – could not recover from taking in too much water this past weekend.
The state has a new campaign finance watchdog, who drew no questions during his confirmation process.
The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority has reappointed three members including their existing chairman. And they appointed three new members as well during the past week.
The Capital Region Chamber will host an issues forum with Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. tonight.
Sheehan took advantage of early voting in Albany, casting her ballot at the County Board of Elections on South Pearl Street.
The Class of 2021 at Bishop Maginn High School chose Zinnia, a therapy dog who makes weekly visits to the school, as their prom queen.
An epidemiologist with state Department of Health, Aaron Mair retired this month and is taking a new post as the director of the Adirondack Council’s new policy initiative, Forever Adirondacks.
In a rare weekend meeting, the Mohonasen Board of Education voted unanimously Saturday on a resolution asking the state Department of Health “for immediate relief from the indoor mask mandate for Mohonasen students.”
Rensselaer County has teamed up with the Capital District Transportation Authority in an innovative and creative way to promote/support vaccinations: The Vax Bus.
A 53-year-old Vermont man was arrested for allegedly attempting to enter Great Escape amusement park with a loaded handgun and switchblade knife.
The SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry is selling its presidential residence in DeWitt because its new president, Joanie Mahoney, doesn’t want to live there.
Newsmax host Greg Kelly is under review by his conservative network after writing and deleting several tweets this weekend about race and the military.
Could a son of late reggae star Bob Marley bring a marijuana research and production plant to Upstate? A company called Ace Vetures LLC is currently looking at potential sites for the marijuana facility in Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse.
Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert sued New York horse racing officials for suspending him from running horses at state racetracks, following a positive drug test for Baffert-trained Medina Spirit after it won the Kentucky Derby.
Some investors are wagering that Wall Street’s preference for green energy will depress spending on oil extraction, setting the stage for supply shortages and higher fuel prices.
The Vatican has warned conservative American bishops to end their push to deny communion to politicians supportive of abortion rights — including Biden, a faithful churchgoer and the first Roman Catholic to occupy the Oval Office in 60 years.
Deb Haaland, the interior secretary, has advised Biden to reinstate boundaries at Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante in Utah, and also in a marine area off New England. All were reduced by former President Donald Trump.
More than 100 lawmakers, led by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called for higher wages for congressional staffers in order to better retain employees working for members of Congress
The Senate confirmed one of Biden’s most prominent judicial nominees, Ketanji Brown Jackson, for the appeals-court seat that Merrick Garland long held before becoming attorney general.
Christiane Amanpour, 63, CNN’s chief international anchor, revealed that she has ovarian cancer and is now undergoing treatment.
With National Dog Bite Awareness Week having begun on Saturday and continuing through to June 18, the United States Postal Service released its annual report about how many of their employees were attacked by dogs.
The Girl Scouts have an unusual problem this year: 15 million boxes of unsold cookies.
Trump turned 75 and celebrated at his golf resort in Bedminster, New Jersey, where he is spending the summer.
