Good morning, it’s Monday.
Apparently, it was a big skywatching weekend for 85 percent of the world, which is to say pretty much everyone BUT U.S. residents, who missed the chance to catch a glimpse of the Blood Moon. Lucky for you, you can read all about it here, here and here.
I’m not sure what more is to say about that…Truly, some days when I sit down to write these posts, I feel like I’m grasping at straws.
There’s simply nothing notable being celebrated or commemorated that day, or the options just don’t move me whatsoever. I don’t consider myself an artist or anything. I know my writing is pretty run of the mill. But even a half-assed writer needs to feel inspired.
Then there are other days that are simply an embarrassment of riches. So much is going on and there’s just too much to choose from. Today is one of those days.
I like to switch it up when it comes to content. Some days have mass appeal and are just too obvious to overlook – like Christmas or the Summer Solstice. These are all well and good, but they’re not my preferred writing subjects.
I am partial to more obscure topics that make me go, “Huh, who knew?” These are the sorts of things that I think are truly worthy of the few precious minutes that a person might be inclined to spend here on the regular.
So, the fact that it is International Literacy Day certainly merits a mention, but that’s not the main focus of today’s post (more on that in a moment). This purpose of this day, proclaimed by UNESCO in 1966, is to remind us all just how important it is for people to be able to read and write – not only does it increase their ability to provide for themselves, but also safeguards them against being mistreated.
Though the global literacy rate has risen steadily over the decades, there are still many millions people across the world who can neither read nor write. There are some countries – South Sudan, Niger, and Chad, for example – that have adult literacy rates of less than 35 percent. Women are more likely to be illiterate than men, especially in countries where inequity between the sexes remains high and girls are not thought worthy of sending to school.
Here at home, rather distressingly, the literacy rate has been decreasing, with 28 percent of adults scoring at the lowest levels in 2023, which was a 19 percent increase from 2017. On average, 79 percent of U.S. adults are literate, which is really staggeringly low in my book, considering the wealth and resources this nation has.
Level one or basic literacy, by the way, means that a person can only understand the most basic and simple texts (short paragraphs and sentences) with limited reading comprehension and vocabulary. Interestingly, symbols are more easily and widely understood than words – things plus plus (+), minus (-), and (despite its rather fancy name) ampersand (&).
I have never really given much thought to the ampersand, which is favored by sign makers, musical duos, and corporations. When I found out, though, that today is National Ampersand Day, I was spurred to dig a little deeper. Apparently, the date was chosen because 9-8 can be (by a talented typographer/graphic designer type, such as Chaz DeSimone) stylized to resemble “&.”
The ampersand actually has a long and varied history that has its roots in the Latin word for “and”, which is “et”. The ampersand is a ligature of “et”, and yes, I had to go to the dictionary to learn that a “ligature” in writing or typography describes a written character that consists of two or more other characters that have been joined together.
The oldest form of the ampersand was discovered in Poempeii centuries ago and gained popularity during the Italian Renaissance. It first appeared in English in 1835 and was even taught to 19th century British students as the 27th letter of the alphabet. Today, it is not only wide used both in the U.S. and around the world, but also plays a significant role in computer programming.
Today will be mostly sunny with a few clouds from time to time. Temperatures will push into the low 70s.
In the headlines…
The men’s U.S. Open final was delayed by about 30 minutes yesterday to accommodate security for the arrival of President Donald Trump, who was met with a mix of boos and cheers from the New York crowd in Queens.
Many attendees were still waiting outside when the match started. Videos shared on social media show crowds of fans chanting “Let us in” while they waited.
Broadcasters were ordered to censor any protest against Trump, who will be shown on camera during the National Anthem before the match, according to tennis outlet Bounces.
“We ask all broadcasters to refrain from showcasing any disruptions or reactions in response to the President’s attendance in any capacity,” the U.S. Tennis Association wrote in an email.
Carlos Alcaraz reasserted his superiority over Jannik Sinner with a 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 victory in the U.S. Open final — the third Grand Slam in a row where the rivals met to decide the champion — for his second Flushing Meadows trophy and sixth overall at a major.
Trump put Chicago on notice Saturday, promising to send in the newly-renamed Department of War in a threatening Truth Social post.
Yesterday, Trump attempted to downplay his social media post that appeared to threaten to declare war on Chicago, saying that he merely wanted to “clean up” the city.
Russia attacked Ukraine yesterday with the largest drone assault so far in the war, Ukrainian authorities said, damaging a key building in the heavily guarded government district of the capital for the first time since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022.
Trump has threatened tougher sanctions against Russia after its heaviest aerial bombardment on Ukraine since the war began, killing four people – including a mother and her baby.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Trump’s summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska gave the Russian leader what he wanted.
Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has dismantled the American government’s efforts to combat foreign disinformation. The problem is that Russia has not stopped spreading it.
Two pipelines under consideration for approval in New York have pitted environmental advocates against Gov. Kathy Hochul in what they view as a test of her commitment on climate policy.
Hochul spoke with The Athletic about her love of the Bills, her thoughts on the new stadium and how football can be a uniting force across party lines.
State lawmakers are demanding more answers after growing evidence suggested that Hochul’s administration allegedly steered the contract for a massive $11 billion Medicaid home care program.
Hochul slammed Trump after reports of a White House takeover of the 9/11 Memorial & Museum were published by numerous outlets.
“Just months after slashing funding for the World Trade Center Health Program that cares for survivors and first responders, President Trump now wants to take over the 9/11 Memorial Museum,” Hochul said in a statement.
Hochul is refusing to disclose the costs of using a fuzzy “Frankie Focus” mascot unveiled last week to promote the “bell-to-bell” school cell phone ban, a Sesame Street-type character that even supporters flunked as “completely tone deaf.”
The governor insisted that children are better off not having cellphones during school shootings and classroom emergencies because their devices could tip off their location.
Tom Mungeer, who was formerly president of the State Troopers PBA, may face criminal charges in connection with a long-running investigation into financial misconduct allegations involving the spending, expenses and compensation of ex-union leaders.
New York is giving pharmacies broader latitude to provide COVID-19 vaccines amid shifting federal rules regarding access.
Mayor Eric Adams said Friday that he will continue to seek re-election in November, angrily accusing Andrew Cuomo of fueling rumors Adams will drop his independent bid in exchange for a job in President Donald Trump’s administration.
Cuomo joined dozens of other politicians for the city’s Labor Day march Saturday afternoon, less than a day after the mayor laced into the former governor, calling him a “snake and a liar” and insisting he would stay in the mayoral race.
Adams’ campaign has revealed who will review the validity of nearly 50,000 signatures that helped him get on the ballot as an independent: Stanley Schlein, a Bronx Democratic powerbroker once sued for allegedly forging signatures.
Adams has yet to make good on an election year promise to boost wages for FDNY emergency medical services workers, with new information emerging about his embattled confidante Ingrid Lewis-Martin pushing hard against that vow while still at City Hall.
Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani refused to denounce a resolution by his comrades at the Democratic Socialists of America to boot members who were not strongly anti-Zionist.
Mamdani joined Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in a rousing town hall in Brooklyn on Saturday evening where the two addressed the growing threat of oligarchic control across the US and how to fight it.
Sanders assailed Democratic leaders for their refusal to support Mamdani in the New York City mayor’s race and called him the “future of the Democratic Party.”
“I cannot begin my remarks this evening without first acknowledging … that no faculty member should be disciplined for supporting Palestinian human rights,” said Mamdani, shortly after being introduced as Sanders’ “special guest” at the Brooklyn College event.
Critics ripped Brooklyn College for using its public campus to host what amounts to a partisan event to boost Mamdani’s bid to become NYC mayor.
Cuomo wrote in a Daily News op-ed: “Self-proclaimed “Democratic Socialists” are trying to mainstream an agenda that bears no resemblance to the Democratic Party. They are not Democrats; they are socialists.”
Cuomo scored a key endorsement Saturday from Local 3 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, his first union backing for the general election in NYC’s mayoral race.
Trump would like nothing better than a Mamdani victory in New York’s mayoral race, Cuomo said Saturday, claiming the idea that the president wants Adams out of the race to help the former governor win is “baloney.”
Leonard Greene: “Even with the corruption clouds that hover above him, the dismal poll numbers and the dwindling campaign dollars, Mayor Adams…could still walk away a winner. The key phrase there is ‘walk away.'”
The billionaire heiress who recently donated $250,000 to a super PAC supporting Mamdani’s campaign is bankrolling a national push to bring “woke math” into public schools — a twisted bid to turn kids into socialist revolutionaries, critics said.
The Adams administration is looking to ban the storage and use of “uncertified” e-bike lithium-ion batteries after a series of deadly fires in buildings across the Big Apple.
A man was killed by the police early yesterday after he walked into the 73rd Precinct station house in Brooklyn and slashed an officer in the face with a 14-inch butcher knife, the authorities said.
The officer, whose name has not been released, was treated at a local hospital. “She is going to recover and is in good spirits, Adams said on X after he visited her yesterday morning.
A new political action committee in New York City aims to spend $3 million in support of ballot measures that could make it easier to build housing as the city faces its worst shortage in decades.
New York City public school students will soon no longer see processed meats on their lunch menus. The same goes for meals served in shelters, jails, public hospitals and other city agencies.
New York promised its 2023 Airbnb ban would free up apartments and ease rents, but two years later rents are higher than ever, vacancies are near zero and the Big Apple’s housing crunch shows no signs of relief, according to a new report.
The majority of people living in and around Times Square are saying no dice to a proposed casino backed by Jay-Z, a new poll shows.
Great news for New Yorkers who like to sweat: Gotham is getting three new bathhouses, coming at an exciting time for those invested in the city’s long stagnant saunascape, which in recent years has been growing and diversifying.
A plan to rezone a large swath of Long Island City is now with the City Council after winning the overwhelming Planning Commission approval, though concern remains that the initiative doesn’t do enough to create or preserve affordable housing units.
When a Long Island town last month agreed to settle a lawsuit over a mosque’s plans to upgrade its modest facilities, it appeared to end a seven-year fight in which the town had opposed basic renovations at every turn. Two weeks later, the battle began anew.
Faced with new charges that include the murder of a U.S. Border Patrol agent, a Seattle woman pleaded not guilty in federal court Friday in a case linked to a cult-like group whose members have been associated with other deaths around the country.
An alumni group at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point canceled an event that would have honored the actor Tom Hanks with one of its most prestigious awards, saying that doing so would allow the academy to focus on preparing its cadets for the future.
The alumni group has announced in June that Hanks would receive the Thayer Award, citing a career that supported veterans, the military and America’s space program.
The first two days of the statewide cellphone ban were fraught for some Capital Region schools, with students waiting in long lines to have their devices checked, lost Yonder pouches, and reports of theft.
A Bronx man has been charged with murder in connection with the fatal shooting of a man outside of a Schenectady nightclub in 2021.
A Schenectady attorney pleaded guilty to one count of tampering with physical evidence, a felony, on Friday in Schenectady County Court.
James Langford, 57, who was previously reported missing in Washington County has been found dead following a days-long search effort, according to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.
Hoosick Falls residents are battling a feral cat surge as village leaders say there isn’t much they can do about the problem.
Educators at schools in the Adirondack Park are seeing resources dwindle as the population of school-aged children has steadily declined.
Employees have filed a class-action lawsuit against a manufacturer of toilet tissue and packaging products that was once headquartered on River Road in Waterford, alleging discrimination against workers who use tobacco products.
A person driving a vehicle reported as stolen in Saratoga Springs allegedly led police on a high-speed chase on the Northway Saturday evening before crashing the car on a highway overpass in Latham, according to Saratoga Springs police.
The rematch of last season’s AFC divisional-round game between the Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills did not disappoint last night, as quarterback Josh Allen and the Bills erased a fourth-quarter 15-point deficit to win 41-40.
Photo credit: George Fazio.
