Good morning, it’s Tuesday – all day long.
I had a friend growing up with whom I had a sort of love-hate relationship.
She was good at everything, it seemed to me.
One of the smartest kids in our class, one of the best dancers in ballet – she got picked to be Christopher Robin in the annual recital, wearing the cutest shorts and white Peter Pan collared shirt, while the rest of us had to be bunnies.
Do you know how demoralizing it is to crawl around on the floor in a light pink leotard with bunny ears on your head and a cotton ball tail glued to your butt? Also, it’s impossible to keep your tights clean in that situation. AND she went on point long before anyone else I knew.
Back in the day, I cared about this sort of thing.
Anyway, all the things that made it hard to be her friend because, well, jealousy, quite frankly, also made her really fun and interesting to be around. She was her own person and didn’t really care what anyone else thought about that, which I envied.
Another thing that made her unique was the fact that she was left-handed – the only southpaw in our friend group. This caused the teachers no end of consternation, because they couldn’t get her to hold her pencil the “right” way. (We still wrote in cursive at the time and taught such things in school).
Of course, her penmanship didn’t suffer as a result, because everything she did was perfect – or so I thought at the time. For the record, I did not keep up with this girl and have no idea what happened to her, but clearly her friendship left its mark.
The truth is that left handedness IS indeed special. Studies indicate that only about 10 to 15 percent of people in the world aren’t right-side dominant, with the highest percentage of lefties (just under 13 percent) living in the Netherlands.
Those who can use BOTH hands with equal efficacy (formally called ambidexterity) are rarer still – about 1 percent of the population – and even these people do tend to favor one hand over the other. One can also be mixed handed, which means you favor different hands for different tasks.
It turns out that while being left-handed is cool and singular, there are some downsides. For example, the rate of individuals who are lefties and also have certain mental disorders – like, for example, psychosis and schizophrenia – is considerably higher than the general population.
Left-handed individuals also have a higher risk of having dyslexia and ADHD, which might have something to do with the way the brain is wired to process information, though researchers aren’t entirely sure.
Experts also aren’t certain what makes lefties BE lefties in the first place. It’s probably a combination of genetics, biology and the environment. One theory suggests that since the hemisphere of the brain controls language control and speech – necessary to produce written language – as well as the movement of the right hand, over time, evolution led to the majority of people being righties.
But again, this is just a theory. And there are others.
Stigmatized. The very word “left” in Latin is “sinister” and over time, there developed a very deep distrust of lefties, which is why so many kids were forced into learning to write with their right – even if it felt completely unnatural.
This doesn’t account for why so many people who are lefties rise to levels of prominence. For example, eight past U.S. presidents were left-handed – Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, and Gerald Ford — as well as Herbert Hoover, James Garfield and Harry Truman. Ronald Reagan might have been born a leftie, but converted to a righty when he was young. (The Reagan Library site says the late president was “generally” right handed).
Also, a lot of very prominent non-politicians in history have been left handed, including: Albert Einstein, Aristotle, Charles Darwin, Friedrich Nietzsche, Benjamin Franklin, Sir Isaac Newton, Bill Gates, Mark Twain, Oprah Winfrey, Marilyn Monroe, Neil Armstrong, Leonardo DaVinci, Pele, Lionel Messi, Babe Ruth and many, many more.
The fact that there are so many over-achievers in their respective fields who are/were lefties has given rise to the “left-handed genius” theory, but again, the research on that is mixed.
I guess since there are relatively few of them, and since they have faced challenges over the years – not the least of which is significant pressure to conform to the right-handed norm and the fact that pretty much everything in the world is designed to benefit the majority (ie: right handers) – lefties deserve a full day of recognition all their own. And that day is today.
We’ll have mostly sunny skies today with temperatures in the low 80s.
In the headlines…
The F.B.I. said that it was investigating the apparent hacking of the Trump campaign and what a senior law enforcement official also said was an effort to gain access to the accounts of top Democrats in a cyberattack possibly originating from Iran.
Meanwhile, the Kamala Harris campaign said that it too was the target of a “spear phishing” attack – this one unsuccessful – aimed at breaching its firewall, the Washington Post reported. The F.B.I. is looking into this, too.
“Our campaign vigilantly monitors and protects against cyber threats, and we are not aware of any security breaches of our systems,” a Harris campaign official said.
The investigation reportedly includes attempted hacks targeting three Biden-Harris campaign staffers, as well as Roger Stone, a former adviser to Trump.
The hackers reportedly used access to Stone’s email account to try to break into the account of a senior Trump campaign official as part of a persistent effort to access campaign networks.
Time Magazine put Harris on its latest cover, with the headline, “Her moment.” The feature story traces her rise to the top of the national Democratic ticket and the challenges that lie ahead for her candidacy.
Former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton will reportedly speak at next week’s Democratic National Convention on Monday night, while her husband, former President Bill Clinton, will speak Wednesday evening.
The Clintons are among the long list of high-profile Democrats who are expected to have significant speaking roles at the Chicago convention, where Harris will formally accept her party’s nomination for president Thursday night.
Donald Trump is reportedly planning to sue the federal government for $115 million over the 2022 search of his Mar-a-Lago estate, accusing the Department of Justice of unconstitutional “political persecution.”
Trump’s presidential campaign made its largest ad buy of the election over the weekend – $37.1 million – as he faces rising pressure from a newly energized Democratic ticket, and prepares for what looks to be a highly competitive fall campaign season.
Trump and billionaire business tycoon Elon Musk chewed over several key 2024 election issues during their much anticipated X discussion last night. More than 1.2 million users of Musk’s social media platform tuned in to the interview.
Trump said that illegal immigration has “overwhelmed” New York City — citing the brutal rape of a 46-year-old woman Sunday at Coney Island and slamming Vice President Kamala Harris’ performance as President Biden’s “border czar.”
The family of Isaac Hayes, the late soul singer who wrote the classic “Hold On, I’m Comin,” is suing Trump’s campaign to get it to stop playing the song at rallies (and to pay $3 million in licensing fees for past usage).
A photo has been making the rounds online purportedly featuring vice presidential candidate JD Vance dressed in drag while attending Yale Law School.
The photo shared on X appears to show the Republican senator from Ohio sporting a blonde wig, a skirt and 5 o’clock shadow.
Tina Peters, the former clerk of Mesa County, Colo., was convicted of tampering with voting machines under her control in a failed attempt to prove that they had been used to rig the 2020 election against Trump. She could face multiple years in prison.
As George Santos’ fraud trial approaches, he wants prospective jurors to fill out a questionnaire to determine what they already think of him, but prosecutors argue the request comes too late and that Santos thirsts for the very spotlight he complains about.
In a flurry of pretrial filings, Santos’s lawyers have argued the federal judge overseeing the case must take extra steps to screen potential jurors with a lengthy written questionnaire, and then obscure their identities from the public for the proceeding to be fair.
A 4.4 magnitude earthquake was strongly felt yesterday afternoon from the Los Angeles area all the way to San Diego, swaying buildings, rattling dishes and setting off car alarms, but no major damage or injuries were immediately reported.
The quake was centered near the Los Angeles neighborhood of Highland Park, about 6.5 miles northeast of Los Angeles’ City Hall, and about 7.5 miles below the surface, the US Geological Survey said.
Amid the 2024 election, a state judge in North Carolina ruled yesterday that independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will remain on the state ballot, denying a request to block the printing of his name in November.
However, a lower court in Albany ruled that Kennedy Jr. isn’t a resident of New York and therefore will not appear on the Empire State’s ballot.
In a decision released late yesterday, Justice Christina L. Ryba ordered Kennedy, 70, to not appear on New York’s presidential ballot, a move that will likely lead to efforts to remove him from other states’ ballots as well.
The judge ruled that Kennedy Jr. had used a “sham” address to maintain his New York residency. He has three days to appeal.
Kennedy Jr. and another independent presidential contender, Cornel West, are facing objections to their ballot access petitions in Maine, according to an announcement from Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows’ office.
Gov. Kathy Hochul’s plan to overhaul the fraud-ridden $9 billion Medicaid home care program is facing a legal challenge from the “middlemen” companies who work as a payroll agent between Medicaid and the caregivers.
The governor would not rule out changing, or delaying, planned cuts to CDPAP, the Medicaid program that helps disabled and elderly New Yorkers remain in their homes.
Hochul announced that $10 million will go toward supporting the repair and restoration of USS The Sullivans and USS Croaker at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park.
Hochul late last week requested federal disaster assistance as communities across Upstate New York recover after the remnants of Hurricane Beryl swept through the region last month.
Hochul’s ambitious plan to make New York a leader in the world of AI research and development could further threaten the state’s climate change goals.
State police continue to investigate an incident last weekend that sent 11 corrections officers and a nurse to the hospital after responding to an attempted suicide at Collins Correctional. Hochul said she’s waiting for the results about what made officers sick.
State lawmakers drafted a 14-part housing proposal – including tenant protections like good cause eviction – in 2023, but never made it public, let alone voted on it, due to opposition from the governor.
A digital marketing company that misled New Yorkers seeking health care services will pay a $1.5 million penalty and change its business practices as part of a settlement agreement with the state attorney general’s office.
The New York Times editorial board will no longer make endorsements in New York city or state elections, including in races for governor and mayor of New York City, and didn’t offer an explanation for why this decision was made.
WCBS 880 AM, one of New York’s leading news radio channels for nearly 60 years, will be replaced with ESPN New York on Aug. 26, as 1010 WINS becomes the main radio station for real-time news coverage in the New York metro area.
Mayor Eric Adams formally announced the appointment of, and swore in, Robert S. Tucker, Esq. as the 35th commissioner of the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY).
In a ceremony at Randall’s Island, Adams alluded to the tension in the upper echelons of the agency, which had spawned a steady stream of headlines throughout his mayoralty. He hopes Tucker’s appointment will calm “flames” burning inside the agency.
Tucker is already facing fresh fire from rank-and-file rankled by how the city handled his swearing-in ceremony.
Adams rapped neighborhood activists for refusing to address the city’s housing crunch — including his “City of Yes” proposal that would overhaul zoning regulations and allow the construction of tens of thousands more dwellings.
The hosts of a plugged-in New York City politics podcast recently gathered to discuss if Adams is really as weak as his political opponents believe and if he could lose in 2025.
City Councilman Keith Powers has registered to run for Manhattan borough president next year, becoming the first candidate to mount a 2025 campaign for the post.
Bronx Rep. Ritchie Torres is asking the Drug Enforcement Administration for information after local health officials detected elephant tranquilizer carfentanil and veterinary anesthetic medetomidine in New York City street drugs.
Assembly Member Jenifer Rajkumar launched a campaign website and video for her bid for the comptroller’s seat next year, which is likely to be vacated by Brad Lander, who is set to run in the Democratic primary against Rajkumar’s close ally, Adams.
New York City stepped up security in and around the Randall’s Island migrant shelter yesterday following the stabbing of a 26-year-old man over the weekend.
Two migrants were arrested for a knifepoint rape in Coney Island – including one who was charged in a previous sexual assault case just four months after he illegally crossed into the US, law-enforcement sources said yesterday.
Two NYPD detectives and two others orchestrated a COVID fraud scheme that helped more than 65 people illegally apply for small-business pandemic relief funds, federal prosecutors allege.
The 20-building LeFrak City housing complex has been the site of more evictions than anywhere else in the five boroughs, and its influential owner is suing the state court system, seeking to speed up the removal process for tenants behind on rent.
New York City’s 400 hottest bus stops, many located in lower-income communities of color, are an average of 14.5 degrees warmer than the 400 coolest bus stops.
The state Department of Labor issued guidance instructing employers how to protect workers from the effects of extreme heat, following reporting that showed workers face a higher likelihood of injuries during hot weather.
The blighted dining sheds that sprang up en masse during the COVID-19 pandemic could soon be a thing of the past due to strict new regulations — with thousands shuttering across the city as restaurant owners say they aren’t worth the cash and hassle.
An ex-con who robbed “Bling Bishop” Lamor Whitehead will spend less time in prison than the fraudster pastor he held up at gunpoint during a live-streamed sermon.
Salvatore Strazzullo, NYC’s infamous “Night-Life Lawyer” who was facing multiple ongoing criminal cases for allegedly bilking elderly clients out of millions of dollars, was found dead in his car in front of his parents’ Brooklyn home Saturday.
A former Cornell University student was sentenced to 21 months in prison after admitting that he had posted a series of online messages last fall, shortly after the war in Gaza began, in which he threatened to stab, rape and behead Jewish people.
NYRA’s decision to cancel Friday’s races at Saratoga Race Course due to wind and rain came just over a week after a report from the New York Gaming Commission found that wet conditions likely contributed to horse fatalities at the track last year.
A 35-year-old Chautauqua County man serving a 25-year prison sentence with a bounty on his life is suing the state corrections department seeking to have them place him in permanent protective custody.
State taxpayers provided millions of dollars for two new hotels in a key Adirondack tourism region. But now that they’re open, occupancy numbers show the stimulus may be contributing to an oversupply of rooms, making it difficult for operators to profit.
The state Agriculture and Markets Department is warning people to avoid drinking unpasteurized raw milk from a Montgomery County farm where the bacteria Campylobacter jejuni was detected in a recent test.
Hong Kong Bakery & Bistro, a favorite destination for its Chinese pastries and dim sum, is closing after 11 years on Wolf Road and 21 years overall in four locations.
The owner of a well-known driveway sealing and small machine repair company in Bethlehem has been charged with installing a spy camera under the desk of a female employee.
Last Thursday marked 56 years since the unsolved killing of Donna Lee Hart in Herkimer County and State Police are asking the public to come forward with any information as it seeks to develop new leads in the case.
USA Gymnastics officials say an arbitration panel won’t reconsider a decision asking the American gymnast Jordan Chiles to return the bronze medal she was awarded in the floor exercise at the Paris Olympics on August 5.
USA Gymnastics says it will continue efforts in hopes of Chiles keeping the medal. The bronze was her first individual Olympic medal.
“We are deeply disappointed by the notification and will continue to pursue every possible avenue and appeal process, including to the Swiss Federal Tribunal, to ensure the just scoring, placement, and medal award for Jordan,” the organization said.
Photo credit: George Fazio.
