Good Wednesday morning. Welcome to a super quick, extra short workweek. I’m not sure how on earth I’ll get anything done.
It was a bit of a bust of a holiday weekend.
To be clear, I accomplished some stuff and I got some good down time in. Hung out with my dad, who I haven’t seen in a while. Saw the new Wes Anderson movie (not my favorite, but classic in the canon and hardly a waste of time if you’re a fan of his oeuvre, which I am). Finally finished hanging the framed political posters in the office and changed out the rug in the living room.
But as for the things I was planning on doing – particularly spending a few quality hours in and around the pool. Well, Mother Nature had other ideas. Rain. Rain. Rain. I am starting to feel waterlogged, and a little moldy, truth be told.
It was definitely not a big bathing suit weekend, which is a shame. We had a spate of extra hot weather early in the season – like late spring, if I remember correctly. And now? Clouds and rain and air quality alerts, interspersed with little teases of sun and heat. The tail end of July 4th was FINALLY hot and sunny – just in time to get ready to go back to work.
Serious bummer.
Of course, now that we’re headed back to work, (well, I am, at least), it’s going to be mostly sunny and in the 90s for two days in a row. Figures. I guess I might be able to squeeze in a little post-work pool time. Such are the benefits of working from home.
Technically speaking, when you have your own pool, you don’t NEED to wear a bathing suit – especially not at night. I think the neighbors might be a bit shocked, however, and so I will appropriately attire myself.
The idea of wearing some sort of clothing in which to cool off (actually, this doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, if you think about it), didn’t really catch on until the Victorian era (figures) – especially for women, who had to wear heavy bathing dresses that weighed them down in the water and actually were something of a hazard. At some point, weights were even sewn into the bottom of a bathing “costume” to prevent the skirt from floating up and (gasp) exposing a woman’s ankles.
Way back in the day, you either went into the water in the buff or in your underwear, and in some cultures swimming was considered immoral and inappropriate, unless it was proscribed for health reasons.
It wasn’t until the 1900s, thanks to a woman named Annette Kellerman, who was the first woman to attempt to swim across the English Channel, that the concept of a less bulky and streamlined one piece bathing suit really took off.
Though there are depictions as far back as the Roman era of women wearing two-piece garments while competing in athletic events, the two-piece bathing suit caught fire as a concept during the 1940s, in part due to the fact that WW II was on and there was a need to cut back (literally) on fabric due to a shortage of supplies.
In 1946, the bikini was launched by a French designer named Louis Reard. It went through a period of controversy – some people thought it was scandalous and too skimpy. Of course, by today’s standards, the bikini of the 1940s and 50s was downright modest.
While I can’t say that I understand why anyone would want to wear something as uncomfortable as a thong-like string while cavorting on the beach or at the pool, I certainly support your right to do so. Or to wear nothing at all, as long as you’re in the right place at the right time.
Happy National Bikini Day, all! The weather is all taken care of, so let’s get to it.
In the headlines…
President Joe Biden again called for stricter gun control, including a ban on semi-automatic rifles, after several deadly “tragic and senseless shootings” leading up to the July Fourth holiday.
“Today, Jill and I grieve for those who have lost their lives,” Biden said in a statement. “We pray for the day when our communities will be free from gun violence.”
At least 10 people were killed in mass shootings in Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Fort Worth, Texas. The incidents — as well as others in Wichita, Kansas; Lansing, Michigan; and Chicago, Illinois — left dozens of others injured.
Highland Park, Illinois, celebrated July 4th in somber remembrance, one year after seven people were killed in a mass shooting during the previous running of the city’s parade.
A federal judge in Louisiana restricted parts of the Biden administration from communicating with social media platforms about swaths of content online, which could curtail efforts to combat false and misleading narratives about the pandemic and more.
Judge Terry A. Doughty, a Trump appointee, blocked agencies such as the FBI And the Department of Health and Human Services from flagging social media posts and accounts. The judge made exceptions for national security threats and criminal activity.
“During … a period perhaps best characterized by widespread doubt and uncertainty, the United States Government seems to have assumed a role similar to an Orwellian ‘Ministry of Truth,’” Doughty wrote in his 155-page order.
This is the latest development in a long-running lawsuit spearheaded by GOP-led states alleging the administration pressured social media companies to remove posts containing purported misinformation about Covis-19, election security and other issues.
And the first couple elevated the entertainment portion of their July 4th celebration at the White House with Grammy winners Ne-Yo and Brothers Osborne scheduled to perform, along with artist and producer DJ D-Nice.
Candidates vying for the White House in 2024 were on the campaign trail for Independence Day, meeting voters all over key early-voting states Iowa and New Hampshire.
Republican presidential candidates fanned out across early voting states to march in Fourth of July parades, while Trump stayed put at his Bedminster, NJ resort with little reason to stump for himself given his mammoth lead over the field.
Trump loomed large over the campaign trail, even though he was among the few G.O.P. contenders who stayed away from it.
The American Dream is alive and well for most, but the younger generation and less educated do not share such optimism, according to a new poll conducted by NORC – University of Chicago.
The U.S. Secret Service is investigating after a white powder was reportedly found at the White House.
Biden was at Camp David and the White House was briefly evacuated after the Secret Service discovered the suspicious powder in a common area of the West Wing, and a preliminary test showed the substance was cocaine.
Attorneys who aided in Donald Trump’s efforts to reverse the results of the 2020 presidential election have reportedly come under increasing scrutiny from the office of Special Counsel Jack Smith.
Smith’s team interviewed Rudy Giuliani for about eight hours; issued inquiries centered on Sidney Powell, a pro-Trump lawyer who spread election misinformation; and questioned Brad Raffensperger, the Georgia secretary of state, about Giuliani.
Lifeguards at children’s camps may be as young as 15 years old, thanks to a law Gov. Kathy Hochul signed, officials said.
Hochul is quietly ending the state’s COVID vaccine digital passport after spending $64 million over two years on an app that is no longer used by New Yorkers and costs $200,000 a month to maintain.
Hochul announced that people who want to experience a rare total solar eclipse in April 2024 can stay at seven State Park campgrounds that will open for the event.
As a labor shortage continues to hamper sectors of the economy, New York officials in recent weeks have taken steps to boost recruitment in the public workforce.
Democrats went easy on shoplifters instead of dealing with the theft epidemic during the 2023 legislative session, Bronx Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, who pushed for a crackdown, admitted.
An attorney for a State Police investigator who is suing Andrew Cuomo for sexual harassment is asking a federal judge to reject an effort by the former governor’s attorneys to subpoena records from two other women who leveled similar allegations against him.
The 9/11 Notice Act, passed by the state Assembly and Senate, will require businesses in lower Manhattan and northern Brooklyn during Sept. 11 attacks to contact workers employed during that time who may have been exposed to life-threatening toxins.
Speaker Carl Heastie’s goal of meeting the needs of all his Democrat members may become more challenging as the number of “marginal” lawmakers whose interests he must consider has grown substantially, according to state Board of Elections data.
The City Council plans to hold a hearing on Mayor Eric Adams’ response to the dangerous plumes of smoke and soot from Canadian wildfires that blanketed the city, turning the skies orange and forcing New Yorkers with respiratory problems indoors.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the mayor’s office said, in part, “The city mounted a whole-of-government response to keep New Yorkers informed and protected.”
The Supreme Court’s recent decision to strike down affirmative action is effectively “undoing all of our rights,” Adams said Sunday on a panel featuring six Black mayors at the Global Black Economic Forum in New Orleans.
Adams on Saturday officially announced that First Deputy Commissioner Eddie Caban would temporarily take charge of the nation’s largest police department, becoming the NYPD’s first top cop of Hispanic descent.
“There’s a natural process in place that the first deputy commissioner falls in line until we make a permanent announcement on who the commissioner is going to be,” Adams said on 1010 WINS. “And we are going to find a suitable replacement.”
Adams doubled down last Friday on comments he made earlier in the week comparing an 84-year-old whose family fled the Holocaust to a plantation owner.
Adams is betting that solving a migrant-housing crisis with no end in sight is, at least for the moment, more important to New Yorkers than just about everything else.
Political primary races that appeared too close to call last week after the polls closed are likely to get a little more clarity today when the Board of Elections releases its preliminary results from the first round of ranked-choice voting.
The City Council formally approved New York City’s $107 billion budget Friday — but it was by no means a unanimous affair, with 12 Council members voting no on the plan.
Brooklyn City Councilman Ari Kagan, who switched party affiliation from Democrat to Republican last year, is now taking heat for his “no” vote after issuing an explanation suggesting that the budget didn’t include enough money for the NYPD.
The City Council is reportedly preparing to pass a sweeping package of bills that would force the NYPD to file millions of reports on even the most minor encounters with New Yorkers.
The number of homeless New Yorkers staying on the streets and subways is up by nearly 18% this year, despite intensive efforts by Adams to stop people from bedding down in public spaces, according to an annual point-in-time count conducted in January.
The Homeless Outreach Population Estimate, or HOPE Survey, counted 4,042 people experiencing unsheltered homelessness on Jan. 24, up from 3,439 in last year’s count and 2,376 in 2021.
Poor oversight by New York City’s Health Department allowed an outside vendor to dramatically overstaff vaccination and testing sites during the COVID crisis, leading to a multi-million dollar cash grab, a new audit by the City Comptroller reveals.
Age discrimination is a serious issue that must be confronted in the Big Apple — especially as the number of residents ages 65 and up is expected to continue climbing, according to a new report.
The infamous spotted lanternfly is back for the summer. Some are reporting that 2023’s infestation feels worse than last year’s, and an environmental scientist said the bugs are ahead of schedule in New York, where peak levels could be reached this year.
Correction Commissioner Louis Molina ordered the suspension of a correction captain working for a city anti-corruption agency for not signing in at a jail.
A burglary suspect held in a Rikers Island jail died early yesterday of a possible overdose after complaining of chest pain and then having a seizure.
Disgraced jails union boss Norman Seabrook will be getting back 10 pairs of Salvatore Ferragamo shoes that the feds seized from him when he was busted in a corruption scheme seven years ago.
A cadre of civilian “bounty hunters” have raked in thousands of dollars by issuing summonses to bars and restaurants for violating the city’s ambiguous noise pollution regulations.
A school of about 50 sand sharks was spotted off a Long Island beach yesterday morning, just hours after a girl was bitten at the same beach and nearby a boy suffered injuries in the first confirmed shark attack of the season.
Actress Allison Mack, who provided “slaves” to NXIVM leader Keith Raniere for his secret group that blackmailed calorie-starved and sleep-deprived women into sex acts and subjected them to physical branding, has been released from federal prison.
A black bear was seen wandering through parts of Albany near New Scotland Avenue and Ontario Street for several hours Monday morning before it left the city on its own, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation.
The Christmas Tree Shops outlet in Colonie Center could be headed for closure as the national chain faces liquidation.
Former Buffalo Republican Rep. Chris Collins, who was was convicted, jailed and later pardoned by former President Trump for his involvement in an insider trading scheme, confirmed he is weighing a run for Congress in Florida, where he now lives.
Apparently, I missed a supermoon on Monday. Not sure how that happened.
