Good morning, it’s Tuesday.
Today presents a unique opportunity to delve into something rather obscure that I have always found fascinating and secretly wished I had: Heterochromia.
Oh, what’s that you say? You’re not familiar with this phenomenon? Well, let me be the one to enlighten you: It’s the presence of different colored eyes in the same individual…or, actually, more frequently in dogs (Dalmatians and Australian sheep dogs, in particular), cats, and horses.
Because truth be told, heterochromia is not at all common in humans, which is why it’s so darn interesting. Most cases that do occur are the result of one of three things: Genes (it’s a hereditary trait), a disease or syndrome, or an injury.
Congenital heterochromia usually shows up at or shortly after birth. It’s a genetic condition that has no other symptoms, is usually harmless and doesn’t require any medical treatment. Babies born with two different colored eyes can see perfectly fine and don’t have a history of eyesight troubles going forward.
Acquired heterochromia, on the other hand, develops later in life and is typically more problematic, usually resulting from an injury or illness.
Central heterochromia is when there is an inner ring that is a different color than the outer area of the iris. Complete Heterochromia, on the other hand, is when the color of the entire iris in one eye differs from that of the other – brown and blue, for example.
For those even vaguely familiar with this condition, one of the most famous cases of supposed heterochromia in the modern era was David Bowie. Except it turns out that The Duke DID NOT actually have two different colored eyes. What Ziggy Stardust did have was anisocoria, which is when one pupil is considerably bigger than the other, causing an illusion that the eyes are different colors.
As has been widely reported, Bowie’s eye was injured during a fight over a girl when he was a teenager. He was punched in the eye, and required prolonged hospital treatment and several surgeries that left him with anisocoria and poor depth perception to boot.
However, there are a number of celebrities who DO have some degree of heterochromia, including Christopher Walker, Jane Seymour, and Kate Bosworth. The number of celebs with this condition seems kind of high, which makes me wonder if there’s some sort of correlation between fame and unique eye color. Someone should do a study.
Today, FWIW, is National Different Colored Eyes Day, which I’m not even sure is a real thing, but it gave me a chance to do some digging into a subject on which I have always been interested. Thanks for indulging me.
The weather gods are apparently done delivering on our behalf. We’re in for some rather severe thunderstorms today, though they won’t develop until the afternoon. There will be showers in the morning, with temperatures in the mid-80s.
In the headlines…
President Joe Biden is facing an alarming level of doubt from inside his own party, with 64 percent of Democratic voters saying they would prefer a new standard-bearer in the 2024 presidential campaign, according to a New York Times/Siena College poll.
Voters nationwide have soured on Biden’s leadership, giving him a meager 33 percent job-approval rating.
A progressive grassroots organization that supported Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’s 2016 and 2020 White House bids announced that it will launch a campaign to oppose Biden’s reelection in 2024.
The National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) responded to a much-criticized comment by first lady Jill Biden calling the Latino community “as unique as the breakfast tacos here in San Antonio,” saying that the remark was culturally inappropriate.
Her comment comes as President Biden’s popularity with Hispanic voters has been falling.
From the White House early evening yesterday, Biden had the privilege of publicly revealing the first full-color image taken by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope – the most powerful observatory ever launched into space.
“This is the oldest documented light in the history of the universe from 13 billion — let me say that again, 13 billion — years ago,” Biden said, introducing the highest-resolution images yet of the infrared universe.
The White House has reportedly told Prime Minister Yair Lapid’s office that due to the surge in COVID-19 infections in the US and Israel, the president will refrain from shaking hands during his Middle East trip this week.
As Biden faces calls for more drastic action on abortion, the legal team vetting his options has found itself preoccupied by a single pressing concern: That any action they could take would simply be struck down by the very court that put them in this place.
Federal health officials said doctors and hospitals must provide an abortion under federal law when a pregnant woman in emergency medical condition needs the procedure to be stabilized.
Those who deny care under those circumstances risk fines or the loss of their Medicare status, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said.
A French pharmaceutical company is asking U.S. drug regulators to approve what it says would be the first over-the-counter birth-control pill in the U.S.
A federal judge in Arizona temporarily blocked a state law granting “personhood” to unborn fetuses from taking effect.
U.S. District Court Judge Douglas Rayes wrote in his ruling that Arizona’s law was vague and therefore deprived plaintiffs of their due process rights.
As the central bank raises interest rates to cool down the economy and contain rapid inflation, it is also pushing up mortgage costs, putting home purchases out of reach for many first-time buyers.
The Jan. 6 select committee will present evidence at its hearing today that a tweet by former President Trump prompted pro-Trump groups to change the date they planned to converge on D.C. to Jan. 6.
Thailand faces a shortage of about 500,000 foreign workers in its manufacturing and services sectors to support an economic recovery from the pandemic, with the government having lifted almost all Covid-related travel and business restrictions.
Increasingly, however, more people appear to be contracting the virus multiple times in relatively quick succession, as another omicron subvariant sweeps through the U.S.
US health officials are urgently working on a plan to allow second Covid-19 boosters for all adults, a senior White House official confirmed.
Moderna said it is developing two potential Covid-19 booster shots targeting different Omicron subvariants, citing differences in market preferences among the U.S. and other countries.
Expanding eligibility for a fourth dose of vaccine to younger adults would require regulatory approval; more discussions with officials from the FDA and the CDC are expected in the coming days, according to people familiar with the situation.
In a decision that could impact the management of future health crises, a state Supreme Court justice in western New York ruled that the state’s new-minted isolation and quarantine procedures were produced by an unconstitutional process.
China’s Covid-19 cases are rising at the fastest pace since late May, unnerving investors wary of a repeat of Shanghai’s two-month lockdown, which snarled global supply chains and sank hopes that the country would reach Beijing’s economic-growth targets.
Gov. Kathy Hochul said she continues to track New York’s COVID-19 infection and hospitalization numbers daily and while cases are trending up, it doesn’t appear the current sub-variant of the virus is causing as serious illness as previous ones.
Assembly Minority Leader William Barclay issued a statement denouncing Hochul’s handling of a pending investigation into COVID-19 nursing home deaths.
State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins announced she has tested positive for COVID-19. Stewart-Cousins, a Democrat from Yonkers, wrote in a post on Twitter she is feeling well. She has been vaccinated and received a booster shot.
Coronavirus infection rates are spiking in the city with more than 15% of all tests coming back positive on average in the past week, data shows, but it remains unclear if Mayor Eric Adams will take any new steps to address the pandemic resurgence.
Chief Judge Janet DiFiore, 67, will step down at the end of August, even as lawmakers continue to codify and consider stronger laws on guns and abortion, measures at the heart of a national debate and whose legality could be determined by the state judiciary.
DiFiore is leaving with more than two years left on her term, clearing the way for Gov. Kathy Hochul to appoint her successor.
DiFiore, a former Republican, currently leads a Court of Appeals with a 4-3 majority that has issued decisions in recent years that belie New York’s reputation as a bastion of progressive politics.
DiFiore is currently under investigation by the state judicial ethics watchdog for allegedly interfering in the disciplinary hearing of Dennis Quirk, who is the president of the New York State Court Officers Association and a frequent critic of the chief judge.
DiFiore’s surprise resignation led to a groundswell of calls from Democratic state and federal lawmakers to reshape the court and move it in a more progressive direction in response to the conservative shift on the U.S. Supreme Court.
Advocates and Democratic lawmakers are signaling they do not want another former Republican to lead the court and the judiciary branch in New York.
Hochul said she would usher in a “new era of transparency.” But critics, including the state comptroller’s office, said she has failed to do so.
Some of the most prominent real estate professionals in the city have contributed generously to Hochul’s war chest as she vies for her first four-year term as governor. Republican nominee Rep. Lee Zeldin’s haul from the industry has been comparatively modest.
Lawyers for disgraced ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo are ramping up for a legal fight against a state trooper who accused him of groping her, issuing sweeping document requests from probes conducted by state AG Letitia James and the Assembly Judiciary Committee.
Adams announced the appointment of Eva Wong as director of the Mayor’s Office of Community Mental Health (OCMH) and Brian Stettin as senior advisor for severe mental illness.
Here’s who has been appointed to major positions in the Adams administration so far. This list is updated as of July 11.
Adams was confronted last night by a group of Upper Manhattan protesters denouncing controversial cuts to local schools.
A 31-year-old man died on Sunday in a Rikers Island jail, prompting the immediate firing of a correction officer involved in the incident, city officials said.
The city Sheriff’s Department seized 54 cars with fake license plates in upper Manhattan in a crackdown on “ghost vehicles” that are popular among criminals.
Emmy-award-winning journalist Julian Phillips took over as the NYPD’s new deputy commissioner of public information after John Miller, a former top CBS TV reporter, vacated the post in late June.
Adams pressed Biden to get more monkeypox vaccinations to New York City — and in the meanwhile allow officials to delay administering second doses as a way to expand overall inoculations.
Former Mayor Bill de Blasio rebuked Biden’s administration for holding off on importing millions of monkeypox vaccine doses from Denmark as New York City continues to see a steady uptick in cases of the viral disease.
Rep. Carolyn Maloney lamented that the Upper East Side Papaya King might soon be driven out of business by its landlord, but didn’t mention that the chairman of the company who owns the building has donated generously to her campaigns since 2009.
Manhattan-Brooklyn congressional candidate Yuh-Line Niou has endorsed the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel in her platform — provoking condemnation from a leading opponent and the head of the state Democratic Party.
The actress Lea Michele will take over as Fanny Brice in the Broadway revival of “Funny Girl” in early September, the show said, after Beanie Feldstein’s abrupt announcement that she would be leaving the role earlier than expected.
NY1 anchor Ruschell Boone is undergoing cancer treatment which has kept her away from appearing on “News All Day” recently, the station announced.
Well-heeled vacationers hoping to catch a private flight out of the swanky seaside enclave of East Hampton yesterday were greeted by a coalition of activists associated with New York Communities for Change intent on disrupting their travel plans.
Six protestors were arrested.
Attorneys for victims allegedly sexually abused by clergy and others associated with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany agreed to move forward with a negotiated mediation plan that will keep hundreds of Child Victims Act lawsuits moving forward.
The Children’s Museum at Saratoga is settling into its new home in the Lincoln Baths building at the Spa State Park.
Residents along Western Avenue in the Melrose neighborhood are threatening legal action over two planned bus stations that form part of a long-planned Capital District Transportation Authority rapid transit line.
Students will be able to wear sports bras as shirts at athletic practices this fall, according to a draft of the 2022-2023 dress code that would officially end the Albany School District’s controversial band of such garments.
The Tops Friendly Markets store in Buffalo will reopen Friday, about two months after a man killed 10 people and injured three more in a hate-fueled mass shooting.
Health officials preparing to broaden the reach of a national mental-health crisis line are working to strengthen an overstretched network of call centers that didn’t connect with about one in six callers in recent years.
Starbucks Corp. said that it is closing 16 U.S. stores after workers reported incidents related to drug use and other disruptions in cafes.
The Department of Justice is investigating whether the PGA Tour engaged in anticompetitive behavior as it battles the upstart, Saudi-backed LIV Golf circuit, the PGA Tour confirmed.
The United Nations predicts that the world’s population will hit the 8 billion mark on Nov. 15.
