Good Monday morning.
How many times a day do you look at your smartphone – 100 (if so, you are incredibly disciplined, or maybe you live under a rock)? 1,000? Let’s just say…a lot.
For better or worse, our handheld devices have changed our lives. They’re certainly changed the way we communicate – for fail to, depending on whether we’re staring at the phone instead of a dining companion, but that’s a gripe for another day.
Arguably, all of this would not have been possible had it not been for the innovation and vision of Alexander Graham Bell, who on this day in 1876 was granted a patent for “transmitting vocal or other sounds telegraphically.”
Three days later, he conducted a successful experiment with the telephone, uttering the iconic directive to his assistant: “Mr. Watson, come here. I want to see you.”
On that Bell wrote to his dad to ahem (telegraph) his success, and speculated that “the day is coming when telegraph wires will be laid on to houses just like water and gas — and friends converse with each other without leaving home.”
And boy, did that prediction come true. Imagine, though, if Bell could see us today, not only communicating with one another without leaving the house, but also from our cars, while on the train, on the subway, (reception permitting, of course) and even while walking down – or crossing – the street.
Alexander Graham Bell Day is observed by people around the world to honor the inventor and his many accomplishments, but in Nova Scotia it has been officially recognized by an action of the Legislature.
It’s also National Cereal Day, which is a day after my own heart. I am a big fan of cereal – particularly of Grape Nuts, of which there was a significant (and honestly, rather perplexing) shortage during the height of the COVID crisis in 2021. Who knew so many other people were as obsessed as I am with those crunchy and oddly satisfying bits?
Breakfast cereal is 100 percent an American innovation (the cold kind, mind you, we’re not talking about oatmeal here, which is an entirely different thing altogether, or even its cold cousin, Museli). Cold breakfast cereal was believed to be a digestive aid, and even had religious overtones early on in its existence.
Now, of course, it’s often more of a dessert than a breakfast, due to the insanely high sugar content of so many brands that market mainly to kids. And, research has shown that a high-glycemic carbo-bomb is probably not the best way to start your day. You would be better off with something high protein, like eggs – or even chicken breast.
We are in for another up-and-down week in the weather department, with rain and temperatures in the 50s today, and then heading back down to the 30s on Tuesday.
In the headlines…
President Volodymyr Zelensky warned his nation to expect a renewed bombardment of major cities today as Russian forces regrouped and renewed their assault after being stalled by stiff resistance and suffering unexpected heavy losses.
Russian forces intensified strikes across Ukraine, pushing toward the capital, Kyiv, and the country’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, while killing dozens of civilians and disrupting evacuation efforts.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine appeared to reach new depths of brutality through the weekend, with reports that civilians were being targeted by the deadly violence.
The U.S. is moving to investigate possible war crimes Russian forces have committed during their brutal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations said.
Moscow is recruiting Syrians skilled in urban combat to fight in Ukraine as its invasion is poised to expand deeper into cities, according to U.S. officials.
NATO countries supporting Ukraine against the Russian invasion have a “green light” to send fighter jets as part of their military aid, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.
Mastercard and Visa are suspending their operations in Russia, the companies said Saturday, in the latest blow to the country’s financial system after its invasion of Ukraine. American Express followed suit yesterday.
TikTok suspended new content from Russia and Netflix halted its service there, adding to moves by tech and media companies to pull back from the country following its invasion of Ukraine.
Russian police detained thousands of people protesting the war in Ukraine, as the Kremlin, which has banned Facebook and Twitter and shut down independent media, moved to silence any dissent against the military operations.
Russia has enacted two laws, adopted and brought into force on March 4, that criminalize independent war reporting and protesting the war, with penalties of up to 15 years in prison, Human Rights Watch said.
Shares in Asia-Pacific declined in trade today as oil prices surged, with the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war continuing to weigh on investor sentiment globally.
Oil prices leaped — exceeding $130 a barrel to touch a 13-year high — on the possibility that the United States and its allies will completely ban Russian oil and natural gas imports.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the House is “exploring strong legislation that will further isolate Russia from the global economy,” including a ban on oil imports and steps to “deny Russia access to the World Trade Organization.”
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has set the stage for faster-rising consumer prices, with the mayhem of war driving up manufacturing costs for food, consumer goods and machinery in places far from the battlefield.
Biden is caught between conflicting demands that he tame rising consumer prices while banning Russian oil imports to punish Moscow for invading Ukraine, threatening even more inflation and raise pressure on allies with more dependence on oil imports.
A Paralympian honored her Ukrainian roots before winning Team U.S.A. its first gold medal in the Beijing Games.
NYC Mayor Mayor Adams said that he’s “in alignment with the White House” in its mission to punish Russian oligarchs by seizing their assets, but he didn’t offer details on how the city might assist the feds in helping locate those assets.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he supports the US giving other nations help if they supply Ukraine with Soviet-era jets in its war with Russia.
New York City is working with the feds to help Ukrainians reunite with family in the Big Apple, officials said.
Many American Jews have become part of a robust fund-raising effort to benefit Ukraine, rapidly assembled by Jewish groups in New York, which has produced millions of dollars in humanitarian aid.
Former Attorney General William Barr said that although former President Trump bears some moral responsibility for the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, he has not seen evidence that his ex-boss was “legally responsible” for the riot.
The Manhattan DA’s criminal investigation into the former president crashed amid a disagreement about the merits of bringing a case. The debate pitted a new district attorney against two veteran prosecutors who had pursued a case against Trump for years.
After two years of pandemic- and insurrection-related security restrictions, some lobbyists are putting their advocacy skills toward an effort to reopen the legislative buildings widely to tour groups and lobbying coalitions.
Covid-19 restrictions are easing. Restaurants are deciding whether to keep masks on the menu.
Developing nations hit hard by the Delta wave last year acquired high levels of immunity through infection, and that protection appears to have endured.
The nation’s biggest commuter railroads are preparing for potentially permanent shifts in daily ridership, declines that in some cases could threaten their long-term viability.
A convoy of vehicles lapped the Washington, DC, beltway yesterday morning to demand an end to Covid-19 mandates and restrictions. The convoy slowed traffic outside the capital for hours before fading in the afternoon.
Novavax Inc.’s long-awaited Covid-19 vaccine is moving toward U.S. authorization after the company said it resolved manufacturing problems that had held up its application.
A treatment that could be lifesaving for many who cannot get protection from the vaccine is in high demand, but confusion about the drug has made some doctors slow to prescribe it.
A funding dispute with Republican senators may complicate the Biden administration’s efforts to guarantee supplies of free antiviral pills and monoclonal antibody treatments this year to Americans who test positive for the coronavirus.
The world was on the verge of reaching the morbid number of 6 million COVID-19 deaths as of yesterday evening, though numerous analyses indicated that number has long been surpassed.
China recorded the highest single day tally of infections since the outbreak in Wuhan at the beginning of the global pandemic. The country reported 526 cases, including 312 asymptomatic patients, according to Bloomberg.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy on Friday said large-scale mitigation measures are no longer needed to fight Covid, lifting a public health emergency order that was declared in response to the omicron variant.
Health officials said yesterday that New York has hit its lowest statewide positivity rate since July 18. Just 1.36% of all New Yorkers were reported positive with COVID-19 as of the afternoon, keeping the statewide rate below 2% for the tenth consecutive day.
Starting today, restaurants in New York City will no longer ask for proof of vaccination before entering. However, other public indoor businesses like Broadway, are keeping mask and vaccine requirements through at least the end of March.
“There’s no decision you can make in New York that you’re going to get 100% of New Yorkers — 8.8 million people, 30 million opinions. We are going to open,” Adams said.
To mark the occasion, Rocco Sacramone is planning to put 300 balloons outside his restaurant, Trattoria L’incontro in Astoria, along with speakers that will play Frank Sinatra’s iconic “New York, New York.”
New York City children in kindergarten through 12th grade will no longer have to don face coverings indoors starting today, but early-education students aged 4 and under and those in day care centers will still have to mask up.
A group of parents plans to file a lawsuit in Manhattan Supreme Court to overturn the mandate for kids under 5 today, the day mask rules will be dropped for all students older than 5.
A day after lifting many of the city’s COVID-19 mandates, Adams marched in a St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Queens, where he insisted the Big Apple was “back” — and no longer boring.
Gov. Kathy Hochul is confident New Yorkers will raise a glass to her plan to make to-go alcoholic beverages a regular revenue stream for bars and restaurants.
A Soviet-born billionaire with close ties to US-sanctioned Russian oligarchs has emerged as a top donor to Hochul, according to campaign records that show a flurry of political contributions across the board.
Hochul’s campaign branded GOP gubernatorial nominee Rep. Lee Zeldin a “far-right extremist” in an email solicitation that was sent with the subject line, “Republicans are gaining momentum.”
An agreement that would commit hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer funds to build a new stadium for the Buffalo Bills is approaching completion, with Hochul confident a deal will be struck before the end of the month.
“We are having very productive conversations. Those are ongoing,” Hochul said.
Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo emerged from his self-imposed exile yesterday, using his first public appearance in more than six months to cast himself as a victim of “cancel culture” and to vow to reinsert himself in New York’s political discourse.
Speaking at God’s Battalion of Prayer Church, a Black congregation in Brooklyn, Cuomo defiantly told a sparse collection of about 100 congregants that he wanted to “tell my truth.”
During his speech, which prompted verbal affirmations from those gathered at the church, Cuomo groused incessantly about “cancel culture,” using the word “cancel” no fewer than 25 times.
For about 20 minutes, Cuomo laid out the same defense of his behavior he’s held over the past several months, but assured the audience he’s been leaning on scripture in a difficult time because “God isn’t finished with me yet.”
“No one ever told me I made them feel uncomfortable and I never sensed that I caused any discomfort to anyone, I was trying to do the opposite. But I understand that was my error,” Cuomo said, adding he accepted that he was old-fashioned and out of touch.
Cuomo appeared to be hinting at a political comeback. His appearance Cuomo came a week after his campaign launched a digital and television advertising campaign pushing a similar message: He was driven from office unfairly.
A group of self-described Cuomo boosters has angered several prominent New York unions by claiming they back the disgraced politician’s efforts to rehabilitate himself in a new campaign-style flyer that’s been mailed across the state.
Huma Abedin — the former longtime aide to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and ex-wife of Anthony Weiner — and Cuomo’s former top aide Melissa DeRosa were spotted at Gramercy Tavern this week.
Opening four borough jails to replace the beleaguered Rikers Island complex is emerging as a politically explosive issue for Mayor Adams amid outrage over the city’s crime surge.
Equipped with the power to set policies for the nation’s largest school system, Adams, an evangelist for healthy living has again turned his attention to the lunch-room staple chocolate milk — and registered concern with the state’s powerful dairy industry.
As Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving waits for Adams to roll back the city’s vaccination mandate so that he will be allowed to play in home games once again, he does so believing that the mayor is “on my side.”
“I wouldn’t want to be in his shoes right now trying to decide whether or not one basketball player can come and play at home,” Irving said of the mayor. “I appreciate his comments and his stance.”
Adams’ administration plans to appeal a court ruling barring it from financially penalizing retired municipal workers who do not want to enroll in the city’s controversial new Medicare plan.
Adams is promising to tackle the spike in subway crime with an emphasis on repairing what he calls the city’s broken mental health system — but it’s too early to know whether his new subway safety plan is getting people the mental health treatment they need.
The Big Apple’s skyrocketing crime rate may stymie its attempt to claw back economically from the COVID-19 pandemic, leaders said as they underscored the importance of subway safety.
Asian American groups and elected officials are demanding that more be done to address violence against members of their community. But when it comes to strategies for fighting crime against Asians, unity has been much harder to find.
Food companies founded by Asian American women find social media engagement with customers helps their growth, but they also face racist and sexist comments.
An NYPD sergeant has hit a less than enviable milestone — lawsuits against him have topped the $1 million mark in settlements.
Former Congressman and Queens Democratic boss Joe Crowley is staging a second act as a Broadway producer alongside a notorious industry ex-convict.
Three high-ranking New York State troopers are set to retire today after the governor’s office took issue with their handling of an investigation into a workplace discrimination complaint.
Shino Tanikawa, the newest member of the state Board of Regents, is a leftist who believes “toxic whiteness” is everywhere — and has a history of griping about it on social media.
Assemblyman Gary Pretlow introduced a bill to increase the number of online sports betting operators to at least 14 by 2023 and reduce the tax rate on a sliding scale based on the number of licensed sportsbooks.
Cohoes Mayor William Keeler is blasting the Norlite aggregate plant/hazardous waste incinerator for a letter the company put out claiming that a neighboring housing complex wasn’t being evacuated because of dust from the facility.
“The Batman,” Warner Bros.’ reboot of the stand-alone Batman franchise, grossed $128.5 million in its opening weekend, the best opening weekend for a film since Sony Pictures Entertainment’s “Spider-Man: No Way Home” earned $260.1 million in December.
Jeffrey Wright, who plays Gotham City Police Commissioner Jim Gordon in Matt Reeves’ film, said his portrayal of the character was inspired by NYC Mayor Adams, a former NYPD officer.
Several dozen brands of jerky were recalled over the weekend, many of them sold in the tri-state area, after listeria contamination was found in routine sampling of some of the products.
RIP Jim Flateau, a journalist who later became a key aide to two New York governors on opposite sides of the political aisle, who has died at the age of 72.
